Knauss fellow helps foster connections between Indigenous lifeways and the federal government
“My connection to Lake Superior is the primary reason I’m pursuing this fellowship,” said Erik Simula, Minnesota Sea Grant’s 2024 Knauss Fellow.A third-generation Finnish/Sami American born in Duluth, Minnesota, Erik has spent most of his life in the forest and lake country of the 1854 Ceded Territory in northeastern Minnesota. These are the ancestral lands of the Dakota, Ojibwe/Anishinaabe, and other Indigenous people. His heritage and passion for the outdoors inspired him to learn about traditional Indigenous lifeways and worldviews.