About the murals:

The Chief Buffalo Memorial murals were designed and painted collaboratively by a team of artists led by Moira Villiard (Ojibwe and Lenape direct descendent), including Michelle Defoe (Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe), Awanigiizhik Bruce (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), Sylvia Houle (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), with assistance from over 500 community members and artists, including extra help and design work from Waylon Lanham, Mana Bear Bolton, and Conor Fairbanks. The walls feature both historical and contemporary depictions of Indigenous people connected to our region, maps of both treaty territories and Chief Buffalo’s famous journey, Ojibwe stories and folklore, and traditional florals designed by Michelle Defoe. This project was honored in a ceremony in 2019 and continues to serve as a space for reflection and gathering for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members.  

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The Chief Buffalo Memorial mural project was an idea rooted in the vision of some of Chief Buffalo's eldest descendants - namely Robert Buffalo (Red Cliff Tribe Hereditary Chief) and Henry Buffalo Jr. - as well as the Duluth Indigenous Commission. It grew as a pilot project in 2019 through Zeitgeist Community and their efforts to improve the connections between Canal Park/The Lake Walk, the parks, and downtown Duluth.

The project was well-received by the community and blessed in ceremony with a feast and community painting session at Gichi-Ode Akiing. The impact of Chief Buffalo and his story is not limited to just the Native community, but is relevant to all who call Duluth and our region home. He is a part of our collective history as Minnesotans and should be honored as such through the sharing of his story across generations. As momentum continues to grow, we are in the final stages of launching a nonprofit in conjunction with the project and developing more ideas and programming in the space.