Amira LaDuke (Ojibwe): Minochige Ode’iminiikwe (Strawberry Woman is Doing Good)

By Dan Ninham (Oneida)

“Boozhoo gakina wiiya! (Greetings everyone!)”, said Charles Grolla, Culture/Language Teacher at Cass Lake-Bena HS, MN.

“Amira LaDuke, her Anishinaabe name is Ode’iminiikwe and translates to Strawberry woman. Strawberries are very sacred in Ojibwe culture, and in the Ojibwe ceremonies. Amira conducts herself with pride and respect and that mirrors her Indian name. Amira is a very motivated student that has excelled in my class. Amira is a natural leader who is well mannered and very respectful. She is a pleasure to have in class and I look to her as a future community leader who will ensure our Ojibwe language and culture lives on. I must add that Amira takes her education very serious and is a model student at our school. These attributes are what make Amira a very good basketball player and will make her successful in life as an Ojibwe woman. Minochige Ode’iminiikwe (Strawberry woman is doing good).

Amira LaDuke is a 5-10, sophomore at Cass Lake Bena HS and is a power forward on the girls’ varsity basketball team. The team’s record this year is 12-5. She is averaging 11.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. 

Amira is an enrolled member of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Her parents are also enrolled in Leech Lake. Most of her life she has lived in Cass Lake, which is located in north central Minnesota. She has attended Cass Lake-Bena School since kindergarten.  

“Through my family, I have always been exposed to traditional teachings and practices,” said Amira. “Ode’minikwe (Strawberry women), my Ojibwe name, was given to me by my grandmother, Teresa LaDuke. She is very knowledgeable of our culture, and especially of traditional medicines. My other grandmother Bonnie Fairbanks recently introduced me to a yearlong berry fast ceremony, which marks the end of childhood and the introduction to adulthood.”

“Amira has always kept her head in situations,” said grandma Teresa LaDuke. “I believe it was the blessing she received from my grandmother, Maefred in a dream, when she got her sacred name … a protection. Amira most resembles my grandmother too. It was what I thought when we first met on the day of her birth. I greeted her in the old way, and I just got that feeling she came with some part of my grandmother.”

“I realized Amira is a special human when she was 8 months old. Events that were going to happen, involving her, were foretold in a dream. It is so. It was a dream about Amira, and my grandmother, who came in a dream to name her.”

“Ode’minikwe is our oldest granddaughter,” said grandma Bonnie Fairbanks. “We are very proud of her not only of her athletic abilities but we are proud of her for her authentic ways.  Amira walks her walk, being herself, which is calm, kind and gentle. Amira has been a part of many teaching/ceremonies throughout her life in our family. Being exposed to our Anishinaabeg ways has grounded her and built a strong foundation.  She is a great role model for her younger female and male relatives both in our family as well as our community. With being a very great athlete as well as knowing who she is as an Anishinaabeg young women, we are very proud that Amira is living her life in a good way.”

“Amira has always had unique ways since she was very young which continues today.  And all that uniqueness shows both on the court as well as in her everyday life,” added grandma Bonnie. 

“I am also extremely grateful to my Ojibwe teacher, Charles Grolla at Cass Lake-Bena HS for expanding my knowledge of my culture.  I especially like playing the moccasin game and want to thank him for teaching me.  Living in my community has given me exposure to my culture in my daily life with many opportunities to learn and practice. Traditional teachings have given me a foundation for my beliefs and values. The importance of having a cultural structure incorporated into a balanced lifestyle helps me make key decisions when navigating through teenage years,” added Amira.

“Like many Native kids, I grew up playing basketball,” said Amira. “In the third grade my best friend, Taryn Frazer and I joined the Leech Lakers boys’ team. At that time, there was no program for youth girls on the Leech Lake Reservation or surrounding area. It is hard to find words to explain the bonding that developed with my teammates, and that continues today. My teammates Krisalyn Seelye, Taryn Frazer and Mya Reyes are all best friends on the high school team. Taryn Frazer and I have continued a bond that’s also indescribable, we push each other to our limits every day. We’re always competing with each other, setting new standards for one another and we have a chemistry that’s unstoppable. We’ll challenge anyone to a 2v2 game, and there’s just something about how we can comprehend each other so easily. I also have a special bond with my coaches. Leroy Fairbanks is my uncle and was one of my first coaches, always encouraging me. Our co-ed team that year was unstoppable, winning a majority of our tournaments as we travelled all over Minnesota with the support of our parents.”

“Shortly thereafter, my parents, along with others, started the Leech Lake Lynx, a team for young girls. Kristin Brown was the first parent to volunteer as the Lynx coach, followed by Tate Frazer and Michael Reyes, who also coached for the CLB Panthers. My uncle Brady Fairbanks has also been one of the biggest inspirations to me throughout my basketball career.  He always has the best advice, on and off the court. My stepdad Clinton Fairbanks is a tremendous positive influence and support by always helping me stay focused, pushing me to do my best and to strive to do better. My mother is Tera Wilson, and is my biggest supporter. Throughout the years, she has tirelessly driven me to weekend tournaments, games, practices, or whatever I needed to be.  She has hosted fundraisers and organized activities to support my team. She has always been there for me and I appreciate all she has done for me and the support she gives in all areas of my life, and not just basketball,” added Amira.

“Amira LaDuke continues to amaze me everyday,” said mom Tera Wilson. “She is the most humble, dedicated, and smart young lady. Since she started school it’s never been a struggle for her to keep her grades up or for her to strive to do better. Her teachers and I recognized right away she was a gifted student, always exceeding state guideline test scores and naturally excelling in all school subjects. In second grade she was introduced to basketball that continues to grow in her heart everyday. She used to tell me, “I just want to play basketball, I wish we had a tournament this weekend.” Through the years she has been consistently progressing her basketball skills, abilities and talents through her various coaches. Her love for basketball has been endless, I look forward to watching her grow everyday in sports and academically.” 

Step-dad Clinton Fairbanks addressed the leadership on and off the court of Amira: “I have the pleasure to raise Amira from the age three years old. As long as I’ve known her she has show the ability to overcome adversity in many different settings. She has shown me the ability to be a lead on and off the court. I think being exposed to championship atmosphere u start to develop an understanding to your role in the game at a higher level. These team names start with Leech Lake, Cass Lake, and Minnesota she knows when she is traveling throughout the state and the nation that you’re representing where you’re from. Eyes watch you so be respectful. I think that is a core value that she brings to the table day in and day out. Her actions in school and on the court reflect how she is living her life. She is a role model to the youth as a paving a way and showing young women the type of vehicle to use when navigating through a lot of barriers that native youth face, growing up in the reservation environment.”

“Watching Amira’s progress directly on the court has been exciting to watch from a parent’s perspective. Watching her gradually add on extra attributes to her game, extra time in gym, working out, and doing the extra things kids do these days to play at an elite level, on her own independence and with her peers without me constantly in her ear settles great with me. She is a fundamental player averaging close to a double/double this year. You’re going to get that every night. I think what is over shadowed at times is defense and how impactful she is while understanding help-side defense and multiple zones at a young age. She now brings that to the younger generation with understanding the importance of communication on the court. I do like how the young generation that these kids refer to the third grade Leech Laker team which did consist of Amira and players like Taryn Frazer, her cousin’s Dominic and LeRoy Fairbanks IV, was precedent to a generation of basketball for Leech Lake as they all are doing great things at at varsity level now,” added Clinton.

“School has always been important to me and I prioritize doing well in my classes,” said Amira. “This year I have maintained a 3.8 GPA. Math has always been my strongest subject. In 8th grade, I was advanced to 9th grade algebra, and have remained a grade level above my class in math. I plan to start college courses in my junior year. I enjoy all my classes and appreciate the dedication of the teachers and staff at CLB, who all care about students in every aspect of our lives. In school I’ve also attended a leadership conference with sophomores all around our region. Last basketball season (‘18-‘19) I received the Most Improved Player Award in our conference. I also received the most rebounds and assists awards that season. A memorable experience was when we played in a tournament to qualify for the Great Five State, and lost a close game to Lake City. We then beat Lake City in the next tournament, to take the championship, so it was very cool for us to come back and redeem ourselves. I hit a last second shot to win the championship. I have also won MYAS league championships in 5th and 7th grade. We won rings presented by the Minnesota Lynx.”

“Amira is an extremely hard worker,” said Martin Wind, head girls’ basketball coach at Cass Lake-Bena HS. “Amira is one of the nicest people you will ever met, she listens and she is respectful. On the basketball court Amira has really good court vision as a Forward she shares the ball really well. She understands the game. Armira is in the weight room and gym all the time and one of them gym rats that you can’t keep out. That’s the best thing about her that she is adding to her game and when she doesn’t understand something she will ask, and if you tell her something she will do it right away no questions asked.”

Tate Frazer, assistant girls varsity basketball coach at Cass Lake-Bena talked about Amira’s leadership: “I have been around Amira probably since she first started playing basketball. Amira and my daughter Taryn started playing basketball at a very young age with a boys’ team out of Leech Lake and they have never looked back playing everyday all year around. Amira has always been a great team player doing whatever you tell her to do for the better of the team. If you need her to make the right pass or hit a game winner she has done it all. One thing about Amira is that if you tell her she needs to work on something or change something about her game she will be in the gym working to get it done. Amira has a great attitude towards her teammates and coaches. She is awesome to be around on and off the court. Amira Laduke has the basketball smarts and the ability to play ball at the next level. But that’s a couple years away, so I will just sit back and watch these young ladies that WE turned into Beasts.”

“When I started as head coach of the Cass Lake Girls program, Amira was one of three seventh graders I moved up to the varsity/JV level,” said Michael Reyes. “She could handle the ball but also had awesome court vision. Amira is someone you would want in, at the end of the game. During her 7th grade season she knocked down huge free throws to beat Red Lake County Central. During summer basketball she also made some game deciding shots. To win the great ‘5 State Championship,’ Amira hit the game winning shot. As a freshman she was playing varsity full time. She had a big growth spurt from eighth grade to her freshman year. Her freshman year she earned conference rookie of the year. Her defense was a huge factor into getting this. Not only was she focused and determined on the court by not missing practice, this is also true to her schoolwork. Cass Lake’s future is promising with a one-two punch with her and Taryn Frazer leading the way.”  

“When we started the Leech Lakers Youth Basketball program, Amira, along with Taryn Frazer were starters on our third grade boys team,” said LeRoy Fairbanks III. “They have been ballin’ every since. Amira is my niece, and the same age as my oldest son LeRoy IV, so we are often in the gym together. I have had the pleasure of watching her grow into a very talented ball player. She is only a sophomore, but has a few years of varsity experience. She has proven this year with the numbers she is putting up that she is a force not only in their section, but also in the northern part of the state. Amira is a pretty quiet person, and also very humble, but she uses it to her advantage and is very effective in doing so. She leads by example and from my perspective, her team relies on her leadership heavily. She is the silent assassin!” 

“The advice that has been gifted to me stuck with me through many years,” said Amira. “In correlation with traditional values, they are what guide my decisions and efforts. It is very important to me to keep a positive attitude at all times, and to encourage each other. This goes on and off the court, with teammates, classmates, family and friends. Paying attention and listening is also very important. For example, I am always encouraging my younger cousin Lexi to pay attention whether we are in a time out or at practice. Another piece of advice I’d like to talk about is consistency. I believe this is a key factor in finding success in just about everything in life.” 

“When I was five years old I was involved in an act of violence in my community,” recalled Amira. “Living on the reservation, we are exposed to a lot of trauma. I have been fortunate to utilize basketball as a tool to overcome challenges of living and growing up in a community with gang violence, drugs and poverty. I understand there is a reason and a purpose for me on this earth.”

“If one does not show up for school, or fall behind, or do not show up for practice or workouts, you will not keep up with everyone else, and more than that, let yourself and your team down. Lastly, surround yourself with an environment to succeed. Reservation life is a tough vehicle to navigate,” added Amira. 

Photo Credits: Allan Olson