Wayne Valliere Honored at Library of Congress

By Carol Ann Amour

Lac du Flambeau

Back in 2020 Wayne Valliere was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the

Arts. Because of covid, though, NEA was unable to present the award or host an in person celebration at

the time. But that all changed on Friday, September 29th when the 2023 NEA National Heritage

Fellowships Ceremony and Reception was held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

And what a celebration it was. Top notch entertainment, a banquet, the unveiling of his portrait in the

Library of Congress, an audience with State Senator Tammy Baldwin, speeches, and ceremony.

“It was an incredibly humbling experience,” Valliere said.

The NEA National Heritage Fellowships is the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Each

year since 1982, the program has recognized recipients' artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and

contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage.

“The 2023 National Heritage Fellows exemplify what it means to live an artful life. Their rich and diverse

art forms connect us to the past, strengthen our communities today, and give hope to future

generations in ways that only the arts can. Our nation is strengthened through their meaningful

practices, expressions, and preservation of traditional artistry.” — NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD

The initial Heritage Fellow announcement that included Wayne Valliere, was made by the National

Endowment back in 2020.

“Congratulations to Wayne Valliere, Sr., a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior

Chippewa Indians, on his recent recognition as a 2020 National Heritage Fellow by the National

Endowment for the Arts (NEA)! Mr. Valliere is a traditional birchbark canoe builder from Lac du

Flambeau and works as an Ojibwe language and culture teacher at the Lac du Flambeau Public School”

Valliere has constructed canoes with students, apprentices and community members at the University

of Wisconsin-Madison, The Indian Community School of Milwaukee, Northwestern University, and

Purdue University, to name just a few of his projects. Wherever he goes he teaches about the

importance of his ancestral teachings, the vast scientific and environmental knowledge his ancestors

possessed, the importance of all of us working together to care for the environment, and the power and

value of intercultural understanding. He is an excellent storyteller and a compelling teacher.

One of his most recent projects was done through a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board to the

Warehouse Community Arts Center in Eagle River supporting the building of a summer wigwam with the

participation of dozens of tribal members from Waaswaaganing and folks from surrounding

communities working together.

Click the link below to see a story about Wayne and his work that appeared in Love Wisconsin a couple

of years ago. https://www.lovewi.com/wayne/