Explore Minnesota’s Traditions Through Play with Nashke Native Games

By Michelle M. Sharp, Founder and Content Creator of Meet the Minnesota Makers

Nashke Native Games invites everyone to come and play. 

The state of Minnesota is home to both the Dakota and Ojibwe nations. Playing these games is a celebration of Minnesota culture—even more than tater tot hot dish or lutefisk.

Nashke Native Games has developed reimagined traditional games and new games based on Ojibwe cultural traditions. Nashke invented Mii Gwech, a fast-paced card game that introduces players to the fur trade era. Each of the four collections of Mii Gwech feature a card game, a memory tile matching game, and puzzle.

Detailed illustrations and clear instructions make these games engaging for players of all ages. Cards are printed in both English and Ojibwe for easy vocabulary acquisition. The instructions provide table talk in both languages as well as cultural teachings about the games’ origins. 

Choose from boxed sets, individual games and puzzles, and native-designed greeting cards. Shipping available across the United States. 

“Simply by playing our games you’re immersing yourself in Ojibwe culture,” shares Tony Drews, founder of Nashke Native Games. “We don’t want to be known as the people who were the Ojibwe. These games provide space for native cultural traditions to thrive.” 

2024 was a big year for Nashke Native Games. As a semi-finalist in the Minnesota Cup, this growing small business made new contacts for both sourcing and distributing their games. They’ve visited dozens of community organizations and schools for game nights and cultural events. In 2025 they plan to expand their games into the Dakota language. 

Tony, a Finnovation Lab graduate, reflects, “I feel like I’ve been preparing for this mission my whole life. Given the consistent demand for our game nights and event outreach, we’re filling a need in our state.” 

The word Nashke was an intentional choice. “Nashke translates to behold, look, check it out,” explains Tony. “This is to say, check out what we are doing over here with games and our language and culture.”

Tony was one of Anoka-Hennepin school district’s Native Education Experts for several years. He provided cultural enrichment to improve the academic success of Native American students in the district. “Getting our native students enthused about learning and retaining Ojibwe culture was a little more difficult than I expected,” reflects Tony. “Trying to transfer this knowledge on the chalkboard, to make them appreciate their culture by explaining it to them, wasn’t working.” 

Tony searched for new ways to connect with his students. “I decided to refer back to some of my knowledge regarding traditional games. This sparked my students’ engagement and  enthusiasm.”

Tony is a first generation direct descendent Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. The journey to launching Nashke Native Games in the summer of 2023 included early assistance from the Tiwahe Foundation to support a goal in an educational “impact” area. 

Nashke Native Games demonstrate the benefits of teaching while entertaining. The games are a catalyst for language acquisition. As players practice, they gain the functional fluency to play in Ojibwe. “The joy that we bring to our community, and we can see in real time at our game night events, is so powerful,” shares Tony.  “Watching youth, adults and elders connect or reconnect with their culture through gameplay is such an uplifting experience.”

Tony describes the process of launching Nashke Native Games as a good whirlwind. “It’s been an absolute adventure! The opportunity it has given me to meet so many amazing natives and non-natives that are interested in increasing awareness and empowering learning of the Ojibwe language and culture has been so awesome.”

Nashke Native Games reinvests a portion of their profits back into the community in the forms of scholarships and community grants. “The Nashke Native Games brand is deeply rooted in culture as its mission. The logo was inspired by Anishinaabe petroglyphs, our original methods of sharing knowledge, which embody the gestural nature of play,” shares Tony. “The figure is both celebratory and inviting, welcoming everyone to the table to play, practice language, and build new connections through cultural teachings.”

Purchase games and products at nashke.com. 

Find games in store at Birchbark Books, the Indigenous Food Lab, the Guthrie theater, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Blue Hummingbird Woman gift shop, and a variety of the Minnesota Historical Society’s gift shops. Find Nashke games at all the Twin Cities and St. Cloud Games by James locations. 

Follow @nashkenativegames on Facebook  and Instagram for community gameplay events. 

Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com or follow @meettheminnesotamakers on Facebook and Instagram to discover the farmers and innovators working to strengthen Minnesota’s local food networks. Meet the Minnesota Makers connects you to the local food, farms, artists and artisans that make Minnesota thrive.