In celebration of Black History Month, Bay Mills Community College (BMCC) is proud to spotlight the powerful voice and vital work of Marique Moss, a visiting author, educator, and community organizer whose work exists at the beautiful and complex intersection of Black and Indigenous identities. Her work aligns perfectly with BMCC’s commitment to honoring diverse narratives and fostering a deeper understanding of our collective history.
Moss, a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) and African American, brings a perspective that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Through her writing and community work as co-owner of Mashkiki Studios, Moss explores the full spectrum of holding multiple identities. She introduces herself in a way that encapsulates her spirit and mission:
Hello! Dosha!
My name is Marique Moss (like paprika, I know), and my traditional name is Miriguá Miásh, Woman in the Water. I am proudly Afro Indigenous, a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation and African American, and I am also a certified silly goose.
I come to this work through lived experience and curiosity. Over time, I noticed how rare it was to see Black and Native identities held together in full. That realization pushed me toward writing, curriculum building, and community organizing. My memoir in poems, Sweetgrass and Soul Food, grew from that need, weaving family, humor, grief, survival, and reclamation. Alongside it is a guided reflection journal, Sweetgrass and Soul Work, and my children’s book, My Afro Indigenous Superpower. Together, these three projects form what I call my “power trio,” created for adults, families, and young readers alike.
My writing also lives through Mashkiki Studios, a Minneapolis based creative and educational space I co own. We chose the name Mashkiki because in Ojibwe, mashkiki means medicine, strength that grows from the earth. We created Mashkiki for people who wanted to reconnect with culture without fear of being judged. No gatekeeping. No rumors. No gossip. Once you walk through our doors, you belong. Our mission centers cultural continuity, creative learning, and community care, and we bring BIPOC healers and educators together for cross-cultural teaching, from birth workers learning herbal protocols and cultural safety, to educators collaborating across traditions.
Through Mashkiki, we lead hands on workshops in plant based wellness, traditional arts, storytelling, and identity centered learning, including bear fat rendering and foraging that highlight connections between Northern Plains traditions and Black ancestral practices, alongside smudge candle making for clinical settings, incense rolling with sweetgrass, cedar, and sage, and whipped bear grease body butter workshops grounded in Makwa teachings. We also serve as a mutual aid hub for rapid response during times of hardship.
Our work now stretches across classrooms, community spaces, pop ups, book talks, and partnerships throughout Minnesota and beyond. Whether we are teaching or delivering supplies, the heart stays the same: keeping culture alive while caring for community.
Our stories overlap, braid together, and keep moving forward.
A very happy Black History Month to all my relations.
Maacagíraac, thank you.
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Marique Moss
To bring Moss’s work directly to the students and community, BMCC has acquired three copies of her acclaimed book, Sweetgrass and Soul Food: A memoir in poems. One copy will be permanently added to the BMCC Library collection, available for all students and community members to check out and enjoy. The remaining two copies will be given away in a special drawing for BMCC students. To enter, please view the information below.
We encourage the entire BMCC community and surrounding communities to explore the overlapping, braided stories Moss shares and to reflect on the many ways our histories move forward together.
To learn more about Marique’s work and the offerings at Mashkiki Studios, visit their website at www.mashkikistudios.co/ and follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @Mashkiki_Studios.
DRAWING INFORMATION:
Two copies are available for giveaway for current BMCC students.
To enter, send an email to [email protected] by 8 am March 6. Please include your first and last name and your preferred contact information if an email response is not preferred, such as a phone number.
The drawing will take place at noon on Friday, March 6, 2026 and winners will be notified the same day.
Winners must respond within four days (by March 10) or a new winner will be selected.
This contest is open to both on-campus and online students. The book will be shipped if winners do not reside in the area.
Media Contact:
Chelsey Cameron
Media and Marketing Specialist
[email protected]