I am a dreamer.
I am one person no one else can be.
I am from another country.
I am of the Wolf clan.
I am German.
I am learning my past.
I am the future.
I am me.
I am kind to others.
I am part of my community.
I am a soccer player.
I am bilingual.
I am talented.
I am this and more.
>> I didn't know you were
going to drag me
all the way out here!
>> Mr. Kelly said we were
supposed to make a videotape
of our favorite place.
And this is mine.
Um, how about right here?
>> Okay, we're rolling!
>> My favorite place is the
hiking trail near my house.
My family comes here a lot.
I like looking at deer, and
getting away from the city life.
>> Nice work, Ally!
If your family enjoys
hiking together, that's part
of your family culture.
But did you ever stop to think
how many people in Wisconsin
enjoy doing things outdoors?
Things like boating,
snowmobiling or camping.
>> So, I guess the environment
has something to do
with Wisconsin culture.
>> That's right!
A lot of things that make
Wisconsin special have to do
with our state's landscape
and environment.
>> Sure!
The things people do for fun,
or to earn a living,
have a lot to do with
whether they live in the city,
or on a farm,
or in the north woods.
>> We're going to be thinking
this week about how culture
and place are connected.
That's why I asked you to think
about your favorite place.
I'm looking forward
to seeing more of the videos!
>> My favorite place
is this tree in my backyard.
I come here when I want
a peaceful place to read
or think.
When I grow up and move away,
I think I'll still want
to come here.
>> A long time ago, it was said
that our people moved
from the east toward the west.
They were told to travel
until they came to a place
where the food grows
on of the water.
This particular reservation
is the largest of the Ojibwe
reservations in Wisconsin.
And it's basically areas that
were reserved by our ancestors.
When they got here in the
Midwest, they found a lot
of rice fields,
a lot of rice areas.
And they settled
around those areas.
Maintaining our culture
is important.
>> I was 12 years old
the first time I went out
ricing.
They just gave me a pole,
and they made me pole around
and I got used to it.
Sometimes, its hard.
You're always moving your arms
and you're picking up this rice.
And it's about a couple
of pounds every time.
You just, like, grab it,
and you get some.
And you tip it over and you go--
Don't hit the sticks, you just
hit the top of the rice,
like that.
>> The Ojibwe word for wild rice
is "menomin," which basically
means the "good seed."
We go out in a canoe,
two people in a boat.
One person hits the rice.
The boat is propelled
by another person,
who's got a push pole.
And that person pushes the boat
through the rice.
The rice is too thick
to be able to paddle.
And they just continue
that process all day,
until they are either tired out
or they've got a nice boatload
they can bring back.
I think it's important
for our young people to carry on
these kinds of traditions,
because this is something
that was given to us
by a gichi-manidoo,
or the Great Spirit.
And without it, then we're
no longer Ojibwe people.
>> I really like living
on the reservation.
It's fun.
You get to do a lot more stuff,
like fishing and hunting.
I like living here, because
all my ancestors lived here.
>> We would like to have
young people everywhere
assist us in treasuring these
kinds of natural resources, and
helping to preserve and protect.
My clan is the Eagle.
I'm related to the eagle.
I'm descended from the eagle.
We're all related,
all people, all plants,
all animals, all fish,
all birds, all trees.
And it's important for people
to know these are the relations
and to treat them with respect,
because they are relations
and we sustain each other.
>> I'm glad the Ojibwe people
at Bad River reserved the land
there.
>> Yeah, the rice sloughs
are cool!
>> Ricing provides
the Ojibwe people with food
and a way to earn money.
But it's also important for
social and spiritual reasons.
>> I never thought about people
having spiritual feelings
about a place.
>> American Indian reservations
are special places.
Indian people that don't live
on their tribe
or band's reservation,
often visit to reconnect
with their family, their history
and their culture.
They also have a strong sense
of stewardship.
That means they work very hard
to protect their reservation
and preserve the resources
found there.
>> The environment is important
to my family, too.
My favorite place is Lake Emma,
where we go camping each year.
>> My favorite place
is my house.
>> Mine is at my piano.
>> Now, who else
has a video to share?
>> When I visit my grandma's
house, we do many fun things
together.
Sometimes, the best places
are where you spend time
with your family.
These are good!
>> We're here in the
Eagle Heights Community gardens.
We have an incredible diversity
of cultures.
You can look at these gardens
and see a cropping system
from a different part
of the world.
>> This is our family garden.
This is very special, because
all the family participate
and we love it.
>> My American name
is Anastasia.
And my Korean name is Meeji.
There are a lot of things
in the garden I like to eat,
but not these, they're hot.
Rabbits and other animals
come and eat the plants.
And they're afraid of people,
you know.
My grandma thought that
it would be a good idea
to put like a fake person.
It really works, actually.
>> When you pick this
green onion, you are not
supposed to pull whole roots
out of the ground.
(both laugh)
We have some Korean vegetables
in our garden.
>> I like the smell.
>> And sesame is a--
And we have also
the balloon flower.
>> Whenever I come out here,
when I see the garden,
I feel calm.
Because out here is very--
It's not noisy at all.
And it's kind of like
a new life, kind of thing,
because you feel free.
>> Right now, we're standing
in front of this plot,
which is our children's plot.
We decided they should learn
more about gardening.
So, we signed them up
for their own plot.
And their job
is to take care of it.
It's an important time
for our family
to share family time.
>> My job in the garden
is weeding, watering
and organizing the plants,
making sure that everything
stays nice and healthy
and clean.
>> I come from
southeastern Africa,
a small country called Malawi.
And as you can see, my style,
the way I garden, is very
different from most people.
And I garden the way
I would garden back home.
It makes me feel like I'm me,
you know, I'm an African woman.
We all participate in planning
of the rows, the beds,
and what we want to plant.
>> My family and I like
telling stories to each other.
I was at school.
I was walking in front of Emir.
And Emir did not say
a word to me.
It's fun to work in the garden.
And I really like working
in the garden with my family.
The worst part about being
in the garden is mosquitoes.
(all laugh)
>> It was interesting to see how
the people from Malawi and Korea
planted familiar things
in their gardens.
>> Yeah, their gardens helped
those people feel connected
to their old homes.
I think that's important.
>> I bet lots of people
arrange things to make them
feel more at home when they
move to a new place.
>> That might mean decorating
a room in a certain way,
or it might mean doing work,
like gardening,
in a traditional manner.
Do any of you have family
or ethnic stories
that relate to gardening?
It would be great
to get some special plants
for our greenhouse!
>> Lots of Hmong people
like to eat these squash, so
I brought some seeds to plant.
>> I grew this birdhouse gourd
in my family's garden.
Now it hangs in our backyard.
>> When my family
moved to Wisconsin,
my grandmother gave us
part of a very old ivy plant.
>> I learned that my German
ancestors might have eaten
this type of potato.
They're called
fingerling potatoes.
>> Hey, do you think
they'll sprout if we plant them?
>> How's it going?
>> Great!
I'm editing my videotape.
>> It seems like everybody else
chose a quiet spot
for their favorite place.
My favorite place
is the football field!
I love to play there.
>> I think your favorite place
can be anywhere you want!
>> My favorite place
is the stage at school.
I even like looking out
over all the empty seats!
Sometimes, I perform here.
And when I do, I actually create
something new in this space.
>> Hi, I'm Cora Monis.
And I work at Latino Arts
in the United Community Center
on the south side of Milwaukee.
People recognize the United
Community Center building
by noting, "Oh, yeah,
we're the building with the
colorful murals on the outside."
We live in a downtown area,
where there's a lot
of buildings.
There's not a lot of big, open
spaces, so we use what we have.
We have a lot of empty walls.
So, why not use that space
and brighten it up
with some of the kids' artwork?
>> Hi, my name is Yesenia.
I'm 12 years old.
And I'm working on a mural
for my community.
♪ ♪
I've lived in Milwaukee
since I was born.
Putting this mural up
will be doing something good
for the community--
Like making a mark of myself
there,
like putting my footprint
on the building,
like expressing
part of my culture.
>> For these series of murals,
we had the kids research
and read some important works
by Hispanic authors.
We wanted to inspire them with
some of the works of writers
from their own culture.
>> After we studied the author,
we started flattening the clay
so we could cut out the images.
Once we cut them out,
we had to just put them
in the right place,
where they would fit.
After we finished designing it,
we cut the mural in tiles,
which would be warmed
in the kiln.
We have to put the tiles
back together, then we paint it
and we're done with the mural.
>> It's really important
for the kids to connect
with their community,
to put their mark
on their neighborhood
in a positive way.
Really become a part of their
neighborhood, and not feel like
it's a faceless, nameless place
where they could pass through
and never be noticed.
The mural gives the children
a real sense of belonging.
It's just an opportunity
for them to make something
entirely of their own.
>> I'm choose to do this
because it's better to help
the community, not destroy it.
Doing graffiti, breaking
windows, destroying buildings
is nothing you should be
proud of.
The mural is something
you will be proud of.
And that's what I did.
>> It was awesome to see
that mural come together!
>> Yeah, those kids helped
design their own space.
>> And they shared some of their
Latino culture, too.
>> People in cities can create
their own cultural space
where they feel at home,
just like people in rural areas.
And people who share a space
like a neighborhood,
or an island,
or even a classroom, can develop
their own culture, too.
>> Working on that mural
looked like a lot of fun.
>> Mexican people have
a tradition for painting murals
on walls.
>> And some Indian people in
Mexico also make yarn pictures
to share their culture.
>> So, we're making some
to decorate our space!
>> Terrific!
You're all finding wonderful
ways to express yourself and
connect with your environment.
I think we've seen today
how a sense of place
can be an important part
of many people's culture.
>> Hey, guys, I'm all finished!
Come check this out.
>> Hi, my name's Skylar.
And My favorite place
is the Exploratorium
of Cultural Horizons.
Hey, this is our art table.
We have everything
an artist needs.
Ow!
Welcome to our greenhouse.
We have plants.
We have orange ones,
yellow ones, red.
This is our floaty chair.
It is very comfortable.
We have books, CDs--
don't really know what this is.
And we have giant crayons.