Jim Northrup (April 28, 1943 – August 1, 2016) was an Anishinaabe (Native American) newspaper columnist, poet, performer, and political commentator from the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation in Minnesota.
Northrup often told stories through the perspective of his immediate family, most of whom, like he did, live a traditional Anishinaabe lifestyle and uses a folksy style to make points about United States-Native American interactions.
He was a Mentor in the Loft Inroads Program, a Judge for the Lake Superior Contemporary Writers Series and The Jerome Fellowship, and a Member of the Minnesota State Arts Board Prose Panel.
Service in Vietnam and a surfeit of family tragedy added to a strong, humorous voice that was unafraid to talk about the darker side of life.
Jim, with his family, lived the traditional life of the Anishinaabe in northern Minnesota, on the Fond Du Lac reservation.