Nazhike-awaasang, also known as Bradley Harrington, is a respected cultural leader, language revitalization advocate, and community strategist.

A Life Rooted in Transformation and Purpose

Bradley’s journey is one of personal transformation, rooted in Anishinaabe values. After overcoming challenges of addiction and incarceration, he began a new path grounded in sobriety, ceremony, and cultural reclamation. His commitment to the Ojibwe language and teachings is not only professional—it is deeply personal. For Bradley, learning Anishinaabemowin became an act of survival, healing, and resistance.

He describes his sobriety, which began in 2010, as a commitment to his people and his ancestors—a promise to live in a good way, bimaadiziwin, and to help others find identity through language, culture, and ceremonies.

Education and Professional Background

Bradley earned a Certificate in Tribal Administration and Governance from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2017 and has served in several roles that bridge traditional knowledge and contemporary governance. He also earned a certificate of continuing education from the University of Arizona, Tucson at the Native Nations Institute with courses focused on traditional leadership, making change happen in indigenous communities, indigenous data sovereignty,

Previously, he served as the Commissioner of Natural Resources for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, overseeing conservation efforts and protection of treaty-reserved rights. He established a Cultural Resource Program and an Anishinaabe Agriculture Program. He currently works as the Tribal Liaison for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, where he supports state-tribal partnerships to ensure that Indigenous knowledge systems are respected in natural resource management.

He is also the founder of Wenji-bimaadizing Media, a media platform that supports Indigenous digital storytelling, language learning, and the development of culturally rooted technologies.

Executive Leadership at Gidinwewininaan Foundation

As Executive Director of the Gidinwewininaan Foundation, Bradley leads the organization with vision and spiritual grounding. He champions the belief that language revitalization must be community-driven, healing-centered, and rooted in traditional values.

Under his leadership, the foundation plans to:
• Develop community-based and correctional facility Ojibwe language programs
• Support youth mentorship and immersion
• Advance collaborative language technology and curriculum design
• Invest in fluent speakers and Elders as carriers of living knowledge

Bradley’s direction ensures that every effort is guided by Anishinaabe principles of humility, truth, and relational accountability.

Legacy in Motion

For Nazhike-awaasang, language is more than an academic or cultural pursuit—it is the breath of the people. His work honors the resilience of those who kept the language alive during times of hardship and works to ensure that future generations can live their lives fully in Ojibwe.
Through this work, he helps community members see language not just as vocabulary—but as a living spirit that connects them to who they are, who they come from, and where they’re going.
His leadership is a living reminder that revitalizing language is revitalizing people, and that through community, healing, and purpose, we can once again walk as full Anishinaabe.