Historic Context of Treaties, Land Changes of Michigan
Throughout the late 18th and 19th-century, The United States and indigenous tribes have been in almost 400 treaties together. Most treaties primarily involved the United States receiving land from the tribal nations in exchange for money, equipment, supplies, and schools. Often, the United States would not do its part of the deal. Through the treaty, the US would set aside small bits of land for the tribes to live on called reservations. These lands were nowhere comparable in size to what tribes previously had. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all tribal land was owned by the US.
In Michigan, the tribal nations signed many treaties with the United States and the state of Michigan between the first half of the 19th century. The treaties in Michigan did provide fishing and hunting rights to the tribal nations on the land that they just sold. The land that was brought by the US used to be sold by settlers, and lumber and mining companies. Everything in the state of Michigan was built on the lands that were obtained from treaties with Michigan tribal nations.
Nomenclature
Chippewa: Also known as the Ojibwe (the name meaning puckered moccasin people), descend from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario. They speak a form of the Algonquian language and are related to the Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes. In Michigan, Chippewa traditions have not always been respected; Central Michigan University began using the Chippewa nickname in 1942 for their mascot, leading to stereotyping and mocking of Native Chippewa ceremonies, traditions, and culture. With credence from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Central Michigan University uses the Chippewa name, enacting responsibilities on their students, faculty, and staff members for respectful learning and usage. To learn more about the Chippewa Nation in Michigan, please visit Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation: The Citizen Potawatomi Nation is the federally-recognized government of our people and represents over 37,000 tribal members. It acts under a ratified Constitution and includes executive, legislative, and judicial branches. For more information on the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, please visit Citizen Potawatomi Nation - People of the Place of the Fire.
Gaaching Ziibi Daawaa Anishinaabe: Little River Band of Ottawa descend from members of certain Grand River Ottawa Bands who lived in villages located on the Manistee River, Pere Marquette River, and at several villages on the Grand River system in Michigan. As a result of historic circumstances, only that portion of the Grand River Ottawa people now known as the Little River Band of Ottawa, had its status as a federally recognized Indian tribe reaffirmed and restored by the United States in 1994. For more information on the Little River Band of Ottawa, please visit Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
Indigenous: Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original peoples.
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe: A division of the Chippewa tribe, largely found in Michigan consists of three bands of Ojibway (Saginaw, Black River, Swan Creek), who primarily lived in Eastern Michigan, hundreds of years prior to European settlement. Today, they claim only a few acres of ancestral land. In 1855 and 1864, the Saginaw tribe signed the last of the tribes’ treaties with the United States government, owning approximately 130,000 acres at the end of the process. Unfortunately, due to delayed annuity payments, sickness, and hunger, many owners were forced to sell their lots. Rapid dispossession leaves the nation with only a handful of their original tribal lands. Garnering gaming as a means for economic success has allowed the nation to reclaim their historical narratives and share their culture. To learn more about the Saginaw Chippewa tribe, visit Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, or visit the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways in Mt. Pleasant, MI.
Tribe: A social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.
Wyandot of Anderdon Nation: The traditional tribal name of the Wyandotte nation is Waⁿdát (Wandat), originating from the Northern Iroquoian language family. The Wyandotte Nation of Anderdon Nation is within the Wendat Confederacy, which is a federally recognized Native American tribe. Today, the Wyandotte Nation consists of remnants of the Tionontati, Attignawantan, and Wenrohronon (Wenro), all unique independent tribes, who united between 1649-50 after facing defeat from the Iroquois Confederacy. There are nearly 7,000 tribal citizens of the Wyandotte nation living nationwide.
Symbols of the Wyandotte nation include the turtle, which signifies the Tribe’s ancient belief that the world was created on the back of a snapping turtle, known as the moss-back turtle, or willow branches, which signifies the ongoing renewal of life, symbolizing the Tribe’s resilience through winter or famine. To learn more about the other symbols and facts of the Wyandot of Anderdon Nation, please visit Wyandot of Anderdon Nation | An Indigenous People of Turtle Island.