The Sullivan Squad, a family of traditional Ojibwe Anishinaabe/Ho-Chunk singers from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin, USA performed their Irish debut in the Crescent Arts Centre Belfast on March 20^th and Lislea Community Centre, Armagh, March 22^nd.  The Lislea performance received rave local reviews in the Newry Democrat‘s Standing ovation for Sullivan Squad and Newry.ie‘s Incredible South Armagh Welcome for Native American Visitors. Both performances attracted regional attention through BBC Radio Ulster interviews with John Toal (LISTEN), Lynette Fay, and Irish News columnist, Robert McMillan. Alan Meban provided in depth coverage for the Imagine Belfast gig in Slugger O’Toole here.

These performances were just the tip of a cultural iceberg, in a week packed with intense memories, that will live long in the minds of the thousands of people that the Sullivan family impacted either in person, or on social media during their Irish stay.

The group consists of Dr. Michael Migizi Sullivan Sr. the lead singer of the award-winning drum group Pipestone, his sons Niizhoo Sullivan (19-years-old), Preston Sullivan (16-years-old), Lennox Sullivan (9-years-old), and daughter Lexie Sullivan (15-years-old).  They regularly perform together at round dances, ceremonies, hand drum contests, events, and celebrations across the United States. Krysten Sullivan accompanied her family and played a key role with her daughter in leading a Round Dance in Lislea watched by over 12,500 people, internationally, on facebook, accompanied by thirty four bodhrán players from Traditional Arts Partnership, South Armagh (TAP) and Warrenpoint CCE.

Michael Migizi Sullivan (PhD.) is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) linguist from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation in northern Wisconsin.  He is currently the Native American Studies Faculty Director at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University and previously served as the resident linguist for the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Immersion School.  Dr Sullivan has travelled extensively across Ojibwe country exploring regional language variation and works closely with elders and tribes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Ontario.  

Dr. Sullivan is no stranger to TAP, having taught 32 bodhrán players a Round Dance beat during COVID-19 in preparation for the Kindred Spirits/ Anamchairde project in 2021 and again in February 2024 for the Sullivan guard of honour and Round Dance in Lislea, South Armagh.

Anamchairde is a term from the Irish language and means soul friends which has been used to describe the deep understanding that gave rise to the Choctaw Nation donating $170 to help the Irish people devastated by the Famine in 1847. This was a huge sum at the time worth tens of thousands of dollars today.

A unique partnership in 2021 between the Celtic Junction Arts Center (CJAC), St Paul Minnesota, Aonach Mhacha Cultural Centre and TAP culminated in the production of a curated, hour long on-line production exploring areas of common experience and shared humanity, music, song and spoken word called Anamchairde KindredSpirits. Irish contributions to this programme included a song ‘Ima’ from Finbar Magee, a Whitecross native, to recount the Choctaw story and a Gaelic version from 2024 RTE folk award recipient, Piaras O Lorcáin translated by Gael Linn CEO, Réamonn Ó’Ciaráin. TAP tutor and 2024 fiddler of London finalist, Aodh Mac Mhurchaidh composed a piece ‘Kindred Spirits’ for the on-line production which was performed in Armagh and Minnesota. Dr. Michael Migizi Sullivan contributed his thoughts on the parallel fight between the Ojibwe and Irish to preserve their language, a theme explored  again during a visit to Coláiste Feirste organised by Dr. Mel Engman on 20^th March. Dr Engman also invited Dr. Sullivan to provide a lecture on the Ojibwe language in QUB.

The concert in Lislea transformed the virtual collaboration in 2021 into a pulsating, and at times emotional, encounter between the Sullivan Squad and the local artists from South Armagh. Colum Sands a well – known artist and former broadcaster – compered the show with his landmark relaxed, easy style, which engaged the audience in song and story.

In 2022, following the online project, a highly successful visit was made by seven representatives from TAP and Aonach Mhacha to Minnesota in 2022 to participate in CJAC’s Irish Arts week. Included in this visit was a first ever Irish music performance at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, hosted by the Dr. Michael Sullivan. Trading a bodhrán with a dewe’igan (Ojibwe hand drum) helped sow seeds for future collaboration.

The family touched down on the 17^th March, 2024 in Dublin and despite a lack of sleep on the journey from Boston, Niizhoo, Preston and Lenny volunteered to sing in Forkhill’s inaugural St Patrick’s Day Parade attracting a lot of local interest, followed by a family ‘miigwech’ (thank you) song at the home of the delighted Cloverhill Golf Club owners, Joe and Brigid Pilkington for their gift of complimentary golf and songs at Silverbridge GAA.

Local awareness continued to grow when Dr. Sullivan sang a moving Ojibwe prayer at sunrise on the 20^th March at Annaghmare Court Tomb, at the invitation of local historian Una Walsh.  Annaghmare Court Tomb, also known as The Black Castle, is a chamber tomb located near to the town of Crossmaglen in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is one of many megalithic tombs on the island of Ireland and is estimated to be older than the Egyptian pyramids, dating from around 4000-3000 BCE.  Another ancient burial site was visited by the full Sullivan Squad on the 23^rd March when they sang another beautiful Ojibwe song in the highest passage tomb in Ireland on the top of Slieve Gullion called Calliagh Berra’s House’. This Stone Age monument dates to between 4000 B.C. and 2500 B.C., making it up to 6000 years old.

Des Murphy introduced the Sullivan Squad to other notable monuments in South Armagh including Ballykeel Dolmen and Kilnasaggart Pillar Stone.

Seventy people came to see the Sullivan Squad at a lunchtime talk and evening performance from the Sullivan Squad at the Imagine Belfast Festival with the evening audience treated to songs and a Round Dance led by Lexie in a striking red jingle dress.

A measure of how much the children in St. Mary’s Primary School enjoyed the Sullivan visit on Thursday 21^st was observed when every child in the school lined up to give them ‘high fives’ on their departure. This visit was a sharing of cultures, with the Sullivans treated to songs and music from the children and a dance from a Riverdance teacher, Aine Malone and children in the school enthralled by the powerful Ojibwe songs.  The Sullivans went on to create more lasting memories, very well received by staff and pupils in Markethill Primary School who hosted a shared education school’s project with St Patrick’s Primary, Crossmaglen. The highlight in this school was a Round Dance, enthusiastically embraced by everyone. Krysten expressed how she felt about these visits when she said in her Facebook post “We are having the best time in Ireland! Their culture is beautiful and strong! My kids are loved so much! We truly are forever grateful for this opportunity here and back home to make this happen!!! I’m so proud of my little family. So many emotions”.

The Traditional Arts Partnership eagerly embraced a visit from the family after the schools visit and they were welcomed as guests into the bodhrán classes where they shared songs and drumming before Lexie provided a fabulous impromptu insight into one of her traditional dances, when she danced a Sidestep to McNamara’s Barndance, played by Traditional Arts Partnership musicians.

One of the undoubted highlights of the week was an invitation to the Sullivan Squad to plant a hawthorne tree at An Tobar Wellness Centre, Silverbridge. The hawthorne tree is regarded as a sacred tree, often associated with fairies, spirits and mystical beings. Bernie Muckian a well known local music teacher gave a rendition of Úirchill an Chreagáin on her fiddle and the Sullivan Squad sang a song about their mystical thunderbirds, which brought a smile to Michael, after a burst of rain followed it. Michael made a traditional offering of apaakozigan during the planting. The Sullivan children not only put roots down in South Armagh, but they also promised to return with their own children.

Thanks to funding from the Ho Chunk and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe tribes, the Ring of Gullion Landscape Partnership, Imagine Belfast, and Gael Linn, a dream came true for the Sullivan Squad to perform in Northern Ireland and visit the country of Mike’s great grandfather’s ancestors. The Ojibwe tribe has a beautiful perspective on farewells. Instead of saying goodbye, they express, “Giga-waabamin miinawaa,” which translates to “See you again.” As Michael Migizi Sullivan Sr. eloquently put it, their spiritual belief promises reunions—whether in this existence or the next, each one better than the last. So, they never truly say goodbye. Who knows where this relationship borne out of Kindred Spirits Anamchairde in 2021 will lead to next?

Kindred Strangers Who Became Kindred Spirits