Get acquainted with Wiba Anung

Wiba Anung translates to “early star” in Anishinaabemowin and is a partnership between Michigan State University and the Inter-tribal Council of Michigan (ITC-MI) that serves Michigan American Indian children and their families. Founding members include Ann Cameron (ITC-MI), Jessica Barnes-Najor (MSU), and Lisa Martin (Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health) and since 2005, the team has grown in size to 14 members, including Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics faculty member Danielle Gartner. Danielle is the co-PI for one of the grants that supports Wiba Anung.

While the partnership goals have changed over time, the current work seeks to understand how Indigenous cultural practices and language support children’s development. Specifically, the group is refining, and even creating new, culturally grounded measures to assess child development and wellbeing. Simultaneously, Wiba Anung members are building out an extensive Indigenous food sovereignty curriculum for use in Tribal early childhood education settings that will soon be assessed for its influence on children’s wellbeing.