Professor Tadd Johnson, department head and director of Graduate Studies in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, presented a one-hour program on the American Indian Civil Rights Act at Central Lakes College in Brainerd today. His program was arranged in conjunction with Diversity Month at the college. Mary Sam, Director of Intercultural Services, Diversity and Tribal Relations at CLC, presented a traditional American Indian gift, the Pendleton Travel Blanket, to help keep
him warm on his travels as he works to educate and bring understanding to
Indian and non-Indian communities. A second gift, the small beaded turtle tie, represents
Earth - Turtle Island -- where Prof. Johnson is helping create understanding and
healthier relationships. Johnson is an enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa and an attorney who has served as a tribal court judge, administrator, and national Indian Gaming Commission chair (appointed by President Bill Clinton).