Grand Traverse Band

“Underwater Stonehenge” in Grand Traverse Bay?

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Chicago Trib (via PhysOrg.com):

Forty feet below the surface of Lake Michigan in Grand Traverse Bay, a mysterious pattern of stones can be seen rising from an otherwise sandy half-mile of lake floor.

Likely the stones are a natural feature. But the possibility they are not has piqued the interest of archeologists, native tribes and state officials since underwater archeologist Mark Holley found the site in 2007 during a survey of the lake bottom.

The site recently has become something of an Internet sensation, thanks to a blogger who noticed an archeological paper on the topic and described the stones as “underwater Stonehenge.”

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Congrats to Hank Bailey — Nice Elk

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

From the Leelanau Enterprise:

Hank Bailey wanted to become the first member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians to kill a bull elk with a muzzle loader.with the elk he shot.HANK BAILEY: with the elk he shot.

He figures Michigan’s elk herd had been mostly devastated before his ancestors started hunting with firearms. After the herd was re-established by state biologists early last century, hunts were strictly regulated and the odds of receiving a tag were slight.

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Alhameed v. Grand Traverse Resort and Casinos — Immunity from Private Suits under Immigration Statute

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

alhameed-v-grand-traverse-resort

The ALJ held that a tribally owned business enterprise is immune from a private suit under 8 U.S.C. sec. 1324b.

Coverage of GTB Compensation Committee Lawsuit

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Record-Eagle:

PESHAWBESTOWN — Tribal officials with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians are caught up in another lawsuit.

Members of the band’s compensation committee filed suit in tribal court alleging former tribal Chairman Robert Kewaygoshkum inappropriately raised council members’ salaries.

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Derek Bailey Profiled by Record-Eagle

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Traverse City Record-Eagle:

PESHAWBESTOWN — Derek Bailey wakes up with a sense of privilege, a feeling he’s had each morning since taking office as chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

“I hold that thought throughout the day,” he said.

Bailey, 36, became the band’s youngest tribal chairman this month, following a nearly seven-month election odyssey rife with disputes and litigation.

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Interview with New GTB Chair Derek Bailey

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

From the Leelanau Enterprise:

Ed. note: New Tribal Chairman Derek Bailey of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, who was sworn in to his new position Thursday, talked with Enterprise reporter Eric Carlson Friday on a wide range of topics. Following is their conversation:

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Derek Bailey Sworn in as New GTB Chairman

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

From the Leelanau Enterprise:

Derek Bailey sworn in as new GTB chairman.DEREK BAILEY at last week's swearing-in ceremony.DEREK BAILEY at last week’s swearing-in ceremony.

Clutching an eagle fan believed to give a leader the courage to “speak in a good way,” the youngest tribal chairman in the history of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians stepped up to the podium on stage at the Leelanau Sands Casino Showroom Thursday afternoon immediately after being sworn in.

“This is a very emotional, powerful moment not only for me but for our entire nation,” said 36-year-old Derek Bailey.  He explained that the sacred feathers were loaned to him by his uncle, Deuce Miller.
Bailey acknowledged how long and difficult the 2008 tribal election process had been.

“To those who did not support me in the election,” Bailey said, “I will work hard to meet your needs and expectations.”

In 1980, when the tribe was finally recognized as a sovereign nation by the U.S. government, membership was around 400.  Tribal membership now exceeds 4,000.

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GTB Compensation Committee Sues over Councilor Pay

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Indianz:

The outgoing chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan is being sued in tribal court over salaries of tribal council members.

The tribe’s Compensation Committee set the base council salaries at $60,000. Those serving as vice chair, secretary and treasure were supposed to receive base pay of $65,000. But right before this year’s election, chairman Robert Kewaygoshkum set higher salaries for some council members, according to the suit filed by the Compensation Committee. Kewaygoshkum reportedly makes around $100,000. Kewaygoshkum was defeated by Derek Bailey after a second election was held in September.

Get the Story:
Suit targets tribal head over new salary levels (The Leelanau News 12/15)

Academic Review: Susan Gray, David Wilkins & Sheryl Lightfoot, and Siegfried Weissner

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here are a few recent scholarly articles of interest to the blog:

Susan Gray, Miengun’s Children: Tales from a Mixed-Race Family, 29:2&3 Frontiers 136 (2008) — article about the children of Northport, Michigan missionary George N. Smith

David Wilkins & Sheryl Lightfoot, Oaths of Office in Tribal Constitutions, 32 Am. Indian Q. 389 (Fall 2008)

Siegfried Weissner, Indigenous Sovereignty: A Reassessment in Light of the UN Declaration, 41 Vand. J. Int’l L. 1141 (2008)

GTB Elections Issues Concluded

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Record-Eagle:

PESHAWBESTOWN — The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians settled the last in a long string of election disputes, clearing the way for Derek Bailey to assume the post of tribal chairman.

Bailey is slated to take over a four-year position held by two-term Chairman Robert Kewaygoshkum, pending certification of the September election.

“I am very happy that this process is over, and I definitely look forward to being sworn in as the next tribal chairman,” Bailey said.

Kewaygoshkum, 57, defeated Bailey, 36, in the original May election, but that was overturned and Bailey won a special September election.

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