Margaret Noodin, Professor

[WINative]

There have been several inquiries into her on whether she has any Ojibwe heritage. She has used several surnames so this has made her genealogy search difficult. She is from Michigan or Minnesota? She has been slowly taking control of American Indian education programs at UWM and in the Greater Milwaukee area. She has been the source of some controversy at UWM after video of big drum being misused was posted on Facebook.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Noodin
https://uwm.edu/english/our-people/noodin-margaret/


[Only changed title-Al]

[Sparks]

She has used several surnames so this has made her genealogy search difficult.

I found her original surname (I hope) together with a different spelling of her first name, too:

Margaret A. Noodin (born Margeret Noori, 1965) is an American poet and Anishinaabemowin language teacher. She is a Professor of English and American Indian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

I wonder if Margeret is a misspelling for Margaret? I find several publications both by Margaret Noodin and Margaret Noori, but none by Margeret Noori. Several websites repeat the wording I quoted from Wikipedia, it might be a misspelling, with one single source being quoted again and again. (Then again, she might have changed from Margeret to Margaret long before she changed her last name.)

Margaret Noori 156 hits: https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Margaret+Noori&qt=results_page

Margaret Noodin 285 hits: https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Margaret+Noodin&qt=results_page

[WINative]

I was informed recently that Noori is her married name. Asmat Noori is the name of her ex-husband and father of her children.
He is of Indonesian descent and interestingly, also lists himself as an Anishinaabe language speaker on his Facebook page.
So she is clearly trying to hide her birth name and maybe has other secrets tied to that with her heritage.


https://www.linkedin.com/in/asmatnoori

https://www.facebook.com/oznoori

[cellophane]

She was married previously, and had the last name Bodellan. Before that her last name was Aerol.

[cellophane]

https://www.indiancountrynews.com/index.php/columnists/jim-northrup/3704-fond-du-lac-follies-the-northrup-road-players
Indian Country, 6/10/2008, "Fond du Lac Follies: The Northrup Road Players": "On the day of the performance the Northrup Road Players rehearsed twice and finished with the props. Meg Aerol, usually known as Dr. Margaret Noori, came to the Symposium from Ann Arbor, Michigan. We had a good visit and she drew some tipi poles for us. We needed the drawing for one of the signs used in the play."

[cellophane]

Native Sun Newsletter, 1992: "The instructor [for an Ojibwe class] is Meg Aerol, an Ojibwe from Minnesota who is fluent in U.S. and Canadian dialects".

[educatedindian]

I was informed recently that Noori is her married name. Asmat Noori is the name of her ex-husband and father of her children.
He is of Indonesian descent and interestingly, also lists himself as an Anishinaabe language speaker on his Facebook page.
So she is clearly trying to hide her birth name and maybe has other secrets tied to that with her heritage.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/asmatnoori

https://www.facebook.com/oznoori

My wife is Indonesian. She says his name is Dayak from Kalimantan (Borneo). These are the tribal peoples of the island. But his appearance to her looks like an Arab Malay man.

[verity]

Detroit Free Press, 16 Nov 2008, Page 139. Accessed through newspapers.com :

Her Roots: Meg grew up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. She has ancestors who were part Minnesota Chippewa and part Métis - descendants of French explorers ad native Indians. Like many of her students, she learned Ojibwe as a second language. She didn't start taking lessons until she was 15.

Article goes on to say that she works with Howard Kimewon who grew up speaking Ojibwe on Canada's Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. Also her husband at the time is identified as "Asmat, who is of Afghani descent".  Her name in article is Margaret (Meg) Noori, 43 years old at the time.

[verity]

She was a student of Irving "Hap" McCue.

--------

Gleaned from Intellius people search:

Margaret A. Aerol
Margaret Ann Noori
Margaret Bodellan
M William
Margaret Odonnell

born June 1965
social security number issued in Minnesota

Locations Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota

--------

I also see another married surname of Christensen.

She herself has also used the surname Noodin. She had an academic email with that name and has been identified that way in news video. She is listed as Noodin here https://ojibwe.net/about-us/ Maybe she uses this as an alternate author surname?

[WINative]

According to My Life and a post her maiden name is likely O'Donnell. This video she posted in 2006 is only one she lists her heritage as Metis from Montreal and enrolled in Grand Traverse Minnesota Chippewa. She listed her mothers name as Alice O'Donnell on her site Ojibwe.net. " Written and read by Margaret Noodin. The following words were written during the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020 by Margaret Noodin. The text began as a Mother’s Day poem for Alice O’Donnell."


https://aadl.org/node/370469

https://ojibwe.net/projects/prayers-teachings/bring-us-peace-prayer/

[verity]

She definitely uses the surname Noodin also for herself. In a recent Wisconsin news article she identifies as Irish and Anishinaabe.

She used the name Meg Aerol in 1990 for a poetry reading. She was Margaret A Aerol in 1991 for a marriage. The surname Aerol looks to be unusual in the United States, I wonder if her birth surname is different.

[verity]

"Professor Noori is now known as Margaret Noodin". From article Jim Northrup, Vietnam Veteran Who Wrote About Reservation Life, Dies at 73, NY Times, Aug 3, 2016.

One of her identifications: "Margaret Noodin / Giiwedinoodin (Anishinaabe heritage, waabzheshiinh doodem)".

I'll see if I can find more on Alice O'Donnell.

[verity]

"Margaret Noodin, descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Indians" https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/15/a-big-week-for-books-new-poets-of-native-nations-among-5-works-introduced/

[WINative]

I would like to see that confirmed if she is a descendant, and I wonder how far back a descendant?
I think it does matter, when you want to be The Ojibwe expert of a whole city or state.

[verity]

A past site: https://web.archive.org/web/20100430055717/http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mnoori/mnoori/Home.html

Some more on identification:

"Noori is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa tribe" (Detroit Free Press, 30 Sep 2009, page 3)

M. Noori "I am of mixed American ancestry including - Irish, Scots, German, Anishinaabe (MN Chippewa) and Metis" https://www.zingermansroadhouse.com/2009/09/interview-with-u-of-m-professor-margaret-noori/

I've hit a brick wall so far in trying to determine ancestors. Found a possible match for her parents but no definitive proof.  And Noori could claim adoption or other circumstances in her lineage.