​Minnesota author Marcia G. Anderson's book, "A Bag Worth a Pony: The Art of the Ojibwe Bandolier Bag," is a celebration, an illumination, and a study of the spectacular beaded bags made by the Ojibwe of Minnesota.
 
Anderson will talk about her book, with time for questions from the audience, during a special author visit presented by East Central Regional Library at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Pine City Public Library. This event is free and open to the public.
 
Bandolier bags, or gashkibidaaganag—the large, heavily beaded shoulder bags made and worn by several North American Indian tribes around the Great Lakes—are prized cultural icons here and around the world. From the 1870s to the present day, Ojibwe bead artists of Minnesota have been especially well known for their lively, creative designs. Neighboring Dakota people would trade a pony for a beautiful beaded bag.
 
Over the years, non-Indian collectors and ethnographers, struck by the bags’ cultural significance and visual appeal, bought them up. Today, there are hundreds of bags in museums around the world, but not so many in the hands of community members. In A Bag Worth a Pony, Marcia G. Anderson shares the results of 30 years of study, in which she learned from the talented bead artists who keep the form alive, from historical records, and from the bags themselves.
 
Anderson, who was curator of the Minnesota Historical Society's museum collections for 30 years, examines the history, forms, structure, and motifs of the bags, giving readers the tools to understand a bag’s makeup and meaning. She also offers a tour of Minnesota’s seven Ojibwe reservations, showing the beautiful beaded bags associated with each along with the personal insights of seven master beadworkers.
 
Find the Pine City Public Library at 300 5th St. SE in downtown Pine City. For more information, visit ecrlib.org.
 
This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

​Events galore at the Pine City Public Library
 
Youth of all ages in search of something fun to do this summer will find just that at the Pine City Public Library, 300 5th St. SE. Mark your calendars as these free and exciting events also can be found on the East Central Regional Library events calendar at www.ecrlib.org.
 
Summer Lego Club (ages 5-13)
Thursdays, June 14 & 28 and July 12 & 26, 10:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. — Free build or rise to the challenge for each new session at Summer Lego Club. Bring your imagination, but please do not bring Legos from home. The library will provide everything you need.
 
DIY Summer Journal (ages 7-12)
Tuesday, June 19, 2:30-4 p.m. — Create a journal using maps and memorabilia at this Do-It-Yourself Summer Journal program. Use it as a diary, a planner, a secret code journal … the sky’s the limit! All materials provided by the library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Pine City Public Library. Registration is required on the events calendar at www.ecrlib.org. Space is limited.
 
Egyptology (ages 5-12)
Monday, June 25, 6-7 p.m. — Write a message with hieroglyphics to take home with the scarab you paint during Egyptology, a Minnesota Mad Science Program. Use the right tools and go on an archaeological dig for Egyptian artifacts. Enjoy the story behind the objects you find, and then use them when you help wrap a mummy. Registration is required on the events calendar at www.ecrlib.org. Space is limited. Sponsored by David Conkey in memory of his wife Harriet Wilcox Conkey.
 
Bottle Cap Magnets (ages 12-adult)
Tuesday, June 26, 1-3 p.m. — Come on your own or with friends and family to make a set of custom bottle cap magnets. The library will provide all supplies, including maps and other paper items, but feel free to bring photocopies of photos if you want to start a bottle cap family tree (image will need to work in a 1 inch round space). Registration is required on the events calendar at www.ecrlib.org. Space is limited. Sponsored by the Friends of the Pine City Public Library.