Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe – Page 12

Simon Otto Column on Maintaining a Good Woodstove

July 22, 2008Matthew L.M. Fletcher2 Comments

Recently Ce-naw-de-quay (Andrea) and I attended a gathering sponsored by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Mt. Pleasant, of which I am a member. It brought together many new members. They were here to see and learn how to make baskets, like our ancestors did long ago.

The meeting brought together many people from all over Michigan, all gathering to learn how to make baskets. Many never made a basket before. People of all ages were there.

As I looked around and saw all the people working on their baskets, it brought back many memories of long ago when I was a young boy and later on a young man. I visited many Indian homes in my work.

I remember going into some homes where the smell of sweet grass hit you in the face when the door was opened. What a welcome that was. Many homes had no electric or gas stoves, only a wood stove upon which to cook. It brought back memories of my childhood. My mother prepared meals on such a stove, and when the stove was too hot, she would just move the kettle over to where it would just simmer. There it would finish its cooking. There were no knobs or dials to turn down the heat. All one did was slide the kettle over to where the stove wasn’t as hot.

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Ojibewe Language Preservation at Saginaw Chippewa Tribe

July 3, 2008Kate Fort

From The Morning Sun:

Tribe strives to preserve Ojibwe language

By PATRICIA ECKER
Sun Staff Writer

Many Native American communities are realizing that the languages of their ancestors and the unique dialect of their regions are disappearing.

In 2005, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe did an assessment of the Ojibwe language use within its community and discovered that the number of fluent speakers was very low.

“There’s still hope,” Ojibwe language immersion specialist Bonnie Ekdahl said. “There are still ways we can preserve the language.”

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Saganing Powwow, June 27-29

June 24, 2008June 24, 2008Kate Fort

From the Bay City Times:

Saganing Members Aim to Teach Indian Culture at Standish Powwow

by Helen Lounsbury

STANDISH – When tribal drummers, singers and dancers take their places this weekend for the Saganing powwow near Standish, don’t think of the event as a first.

It’s a homecoming – a celebration of origins for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, members say.

“I get so full of emotion when I attend our cultural events,” says Mary Bukowiec, a Standish member of what is now a Mount Pleasant-based tribe. “This event will be especially meaningful… After centering things in Mount Pleasant for so long, this powwow has come home.”

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ICT Profiles Ziibiwing Moccasin Exhibit

June 12, 2008Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From ICT:

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Hand-crafted moccasins from several tribes filled a room May 31 for a special exhibit at the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways.

Most moccasins on display originated from the late 1890s, with the oldest pair being from the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy and dating back to about 1850. Many pairs were decorated with intricate bead and quill designs.

Event advertisements promised more than 40 pairs of moccasins to visitors of the Ziibiwing Center in Mount Pleasant, but guests were treated to about 100 pairs from private collectors who live in the area.

The one-day exhibit primarily focused on moccasins constructed by indigenous people east of the Mississippi River, from the Great Lakes region to the Atlantic Ocean and some areas southward. Today, these tribes are commonly described as woodland Indians.

Saginaw Chippewa Tribe to address U of M Board of Regents regarding Ancestral Remains held by U of M

March 19, 2008ilpc

From the email announcement:

CALLING OUT FOR SUPPORT!

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe (SCIT) was just notified that
a request was granted to address the University of Michigan’s Board of
Regents during their meeting TOMORROW, Thursday, March 20. The meeting
will begin at 3pm in the Regent’s Room of the Fleming Administration
Bldg. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Joseph Sowmick, SCIT Public Relations Director, will read a
5-minute statement during the Public Comment session regarding the 1,200
or more “culturally unaffiliated” ancestral remains and their associated
funerary objects that are being held by the University of Michigan.

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is asking for a unified
mobilization of support from all Anishinabe people. MACPRA
representatives and Ogitchedaw (George Martin will be present with his
Eagle Staff) are strongly encouraged to attend. All interested peoples
who support the return of our ancestral remains, please join us.

We are planning to meet in the plaza between 2-3pm in front of
the Fleming Administration Bldg. located on Thompson St. All present
will not be able to go into the Regent’s Room, but a delegation of
support can be present in the plaza.

Security Guards Drop Effort to Unionize Soaring Eagle at Saginaw Chippewa

February 20, 2008Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Indianz:

Security guards at the casino owned by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan have dropped efforts to unionize.

The International Union Security Police & Fire Professionals of America petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. But the effort was dropped for an unexplained reason, The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun reported. Housekeeping staff at the casino tried to organize last year. But they voted 2-1 against unionization.

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