Natives to Know: Ellie Mitchell

Every week, Ellie Mitchell teaches nearly 40 Michigan State students about Indigenous Studies on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. But last week was very different.

On the evening of February 13th, a gunman entered Mitchell's building and killed three students, injuring five more.

That night, Mitchell was home on her Anishinaabe/ Saginaw Chippewa reservation about 60 miles north of campus. She learned of the attack via an email alert, followed by a wave of friends and relatives asking if she was safe. She soon learned that two of the tragic deaths occurred just down the hall from the classroom she would have been teaching in the next morning.

Native folks are no strangers to tragic and traumatic events, and Mitchell is no exception. She has cultivated many tools for navigating and dealing with trauma over the years.

As the owner of Bead & Powwow Supply, Mitchell has worked through tragedies among her customers and their communities. As she explained to Native News Online, she has learned how to lead a team through losses — "adjusting schedules for funerals, incorporating teachings of well-being, shutting down as needed, all while trying to get supplies to beaders. I did not think this skill set would be needed at the university. But now, I am grateful that I agreed to teach this semester. If I can run a business on the rez, then surely, I can lead a class through this."

As Mitchell updates her course goals in response to the tragedy at MSU, she keeps one very important lesson in mind: you must be able to go with the flow. It is impossible to plan for anything, especially tragedies like this. You must be adaptable if you want to survive. "After all," Mitchell says, "survival and response to trauma is what Indigenous Studies is all about." 

You can learn more about opportunities to donate to MSU shooting victims here.