Latest news with #ChippewaIndians
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Michiganders show solidarity, rally with Canadians at major bridge crossings
Once again, protesters gathered for a rally at Hart Plaza in Detroit in a show of solidarity with Canadians across the border in Windsor. The April 26 rally in Detroit, organized by the activist groups We The People Dissent and Indivisible, was one of three rallies in Michigan at Canadian-American bridge crossings to include demonstrators on both sides of the border, along with Port Huron and Sault Ste. Marie. The protest marked another weekend of demonstrations in Michigan, where residents have taken to the streets in protest for weeks, in contrast to the results of the 2024 election, where Donald Trump won the state by a bit more than 80,000 votes. In Detroit, speakers and protesters were focused on building unity between the U.S. and Canada amid fraying relations, while speaking about Trump's proposed tariff policies. Throughout the afternoon, an estimated 350 people collectively waved from Hart Plaza to Canadians demonstrating on the Windsor Riverfront. They sang 'O Canada,' listened to speeches and cheered as one member of the crowd, Michael Hatch of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, performed an indigenous dance. Chantel Watkins, a 34-year-old Detroiter running for Detroit City Council District 5, spoke to the crowd about building unity among working people in the city. "(Workers) want to keep their job, they want to be able to participate in the economy,' Watkins said to the Free Press after her speech. 'The biggest thing that we really want to do is not only support workers, but support all Americans because tariffs are gonna come down and affect us all,' Watkins said. In recent months, the Trump administration has proposed tariffs that would affect the automotive industry. On April 22, a group of U.S. auto industry representatives urged Trump not to impose his proposed 25% tariffs on imported auto parts, warning they would cut vehicle sales and raise prices. Trump has indicated that he plans to impose those tariffs no later than May 3. More: Reporter learns of turnaround at Ambassador Bridge to Canada To Watkins, she hopes her representative can step in to prevent these tariffs (and an active 10% tariff on all imported Canadian goods), which she says will hurt Michiganders. 'I hope that all of our senators and U.S. representatives are hearing everyone,' Watkins said. 'Because they're the ones who have the first line of defense when it comes to the ability to talk to Trump and to fight for the world that the people of Michigan want.' In Port Huron, hundreds of people lined up under the Blue Water Bridge. Yoopers Unite, an organization of Upper Peninsula residents, and Lake Superior Indivisible organized the event, coordinating events at three locations. Blue Water Indivisible, which only recently became active, worked with the Lake Superior branch to arrange the gathering. Martha Fitzgerald, a Marquette native who was born in Port Huron, said the organization decided to act because they felt Canada had been unfairly targeted by tariffs and Trump's insistence the country become the 51st U.S. state. "In early March, when the rhetoric was so severe regarding their sovereignty, we decided to act," Fitzgerald said. Marcello Asaro, who joined the protest with his mother, Geri, said he felt it was important to support Canada due to the years of friendship between the two countries. "I think we have to look out for our neighbors," Marcello Asaro said. "We need to remember who helped us in our times of need." Several of those present at the Bridge of Friendship gathering said they had friends and family who live in Canada, and that the tariffs have affected those relationships. More: Sarnia mayor wants American flags removed due to Trump's 'economic terrorism' Bonnie Havlicek, of Edmore, said her niece is married to a Canadian citizen and that her friends and family used to regularly cross the border without incident. She has not been to Canada since November, and she said she has heard from family that entering the U.S. has become more of a hassle. "You don't treat friends and family this way," Havlicek said. Fitzgerald, who herself has 18 cousins living in Canada, said it was important for both Canadians and other Americans to see there were people willing to speak out against the president's statements. "If you sit alone and just stew, it doesn't help anything," Fitzgerald said. "When we get together and share our beliefs, it helps. Taking action, marching together is good for our physical and mental health, and hopefully for our democracy too." Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@ Contact Liam Rappleye at LRappleye@ This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Hundreds gather at Michigan-Canadian bridge crossings for rallies
Washington Post
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘Big Chief' is a sly debut about drama in Native American politics
My digital review copy of 'Big Chief,' Jon Hickey's ambitious debut novel, came with a letter attached. In it, Hickey introduces himself as an enrolled citizen of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa Indians who grew up away from his ancestral homeland in northern Wisconsin after his grandparents were forcibly relocated to Chicago. The novel emerged from the experience of feeling estranged from his roots, as well as his observations of Indigenous politics. The letter was earnest and direct, neatly unspooling the author's ties to his material.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Native American Community in Lansing reaffirm union on the traditional Spring Feast
Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz As spring begins to warm us during the day and winter leaves behind its cold trace in the mornings and nights, the Native American community of Lansing celebrated the arrival of the new season at the traditional Spring Feast, held at the Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center in Okemos on Sunday. 'We are breaking away from the winter. It's the reunification of families after a long winter. We celebrate it in our Spring Feast,' said John Ostrander, 63, Executive Director at Nokomis and member of the Ojibwe Nation. Before the feast, those present gathered around the fire outside the Nokomis Center. The tobacco had been placed around the sacred fire, so everyone took a handful and offered it into the flames after a short prayer. The youngest woman among the group brought a small portion of each food from the feast to offer to the spirits of the ancestors. The smoke rising into the sky carries those prayers and offerings to the elders who are no longer here, honoring that they are still present here with them. Then, everyone can go inside and eat. From elders first to the youngest, everyone served themselves the food that they each brought, but before that, a prayer of gratitude was offered. Ariel Waagosh gave the prayer in Anishinaabemowin, the Great Lakes region language. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'All life is here and connected, and as human beings, we couldn't live without breath, plants, water, and the sun. We are nourished by life. As gratitude, the prayer comes from our most humble place', said Waagosh, 47, a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The attendees of this gathering emphasized the importance of staying united and continuing these traditional events that strengthen ties among their members. 'This is the only place in my life where I can have a community. These are scary times right now; nothing is certain, so we have to take joy from where we can get it', said Julia Tehauno, 23, Comanche member. 'You could see, during lunch, how loud it was; it was because people were talking, relaxing, and having a good time. And within the Native community, that's a good thing to have: a space where every Indigenous person is welcome,' said Ostrander. Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Ariel Waagosh, 47, a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, during Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Spring Feast at the Nokomis Cultural Center on Sunday, April 6, 2024. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Native communities keep maple syrup traditions going, even in urban areas
Chandra ColvinMPR NewsIn south Minneapolis, the sound of cars driving by is like white noise. Blue bags hang from maple trees that line the sides of city streets. The Native American Community Development Institute, or NACDI, has been busy collecting sap from neighborhood trees in recent weeks for the purpose of sugar bushing is the process of collecting and boiling down sap into syrup or even pure sugar. Gloria Iacono works with NACDI as the Four Sisters Urban Farm manager. She is leading the project this spring. 'You go into hibernation in the winter and then you get that nice, like, first spring day, and it's just something that you can gather around. It's a practice that you can build community around,' Iacono has had the support of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, since it's the first time NACDI is leading an urban sugar bush. Forest Hunt is a plant scientist with the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute and is a direct descendent of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota. They say sugar bushing is a springtime tradition in Native communities. 'It has been happening in Woodland Native tribes for over a millennium,' Hunt said. NACDI has been collecting sap from Center School, Bii Di Gain elder housing, and South High School, where a demonstration was held. Hunt showed students how to properly identify when a tree can be tapped and how to tap a tree. 'You can always tell that it's time to tap when the snow starts to melt and when you start to see little patches of dirt or dead grass. That's around when you should start tapping your maples,' Hunt explained. Hunt then drilled a small hole into the tree before using a hammer to lightly tap a metal spile, like a spout, in the rest of the way until water-like sap began to drip out. Several stepped up to try the sap straight from the source after being invited by Hunt. The taste? They say it was sweet. Iacono has been boiling the sap into syrup right at the organization's urban farm in East Phillips. Community members were invited to watch the process of how sap turns into syrup.'We have a steel drum, with the top cut off, that fits pans in the top. And you build a fire within the drum, and then that boils the sap,' Iacono said. She says five gallons of sap will boil down to about a mason jar's worth of one community boil, Turtle Mountain Band member Tyra Payer demonstrated how to turn maple syrup into candies. They say although they tap trees outside of the metro, there is cultural value to be had in urban sugar bushing. 'There are teachings that only happen at this time of year,' they said. 'The teachings that we have around maple, and making maple sugar and what our community looks like and how we support each other.' Hunt says maple syrup has been a significant food historically alongside wild rice. 'It's really important for us to continue practicing these traditions, because it allows us to continue to have that, that sense of self, that sovereignty that we really need,' Hunt said. With the amount of sap that the community has collected over the course of a few weeks, Iacono says they will produce about one gallon of pure maple syrup. The syrup will be distributed to those who helped collect the (March 20, 2025): A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Forest Hunt's affiliation. The story has been updated.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's ‘energy emergency' means green light for Enbridge Line 5
Mary Annette PemberICT Six Michigan tribes have withdrawn from federal discussions over the controversial Enbridge Line 5 project after learning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are fast-tracking approval for the massive oil tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. The escalation of the project follows an executive order declaring a 'national energy emergency' issued by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, his first day in office. On March 21, the six tribes — the Bay Mills Indian Community, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi — sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Detroit stating their decision to withdraw from the agency's creation of the environmental impact statement for the oil tunnel. SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. In the letter, tribal leaders noted that they had participated in the Corps' review process and meetings under the National Environmental Policy Act as cooperating agencies providing their input and expertise. But they said they were told at a March 20 meeting with the Corps that the agency is likely to issue an emergency permit to fast-track the Straits of Mackinac project. Tribal leaders called the action 'unacceptable' in the letter. "We participated in the process, we followed the rules, we provided the case law, we submitted the evidence, and we trusted that our voices and our treaty rights would be respected,' said Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle in a statement issued by Earth Justice, a nonprofit environmental law organization. 'Yet, once again, the federal government has cast us aside and failed us," Gravelle said in the statement. In an interview with ICT, Gravelle noted that tribes have been providing input and expertise to the Corps since 2021. 'This is a Canadian pipeline running through Michigan for Canada. We are simply the highway that they are taking advantage of in order to have a shorter route,' Gravelle said. 'The executive order declaring a national emergency is intended to be used on fuel for the U.S. by the U.S. Line 5 doesn't meet that standard.' In an email to ICT, Ryan Duffy, media spokesperson for Enbridge, said Line 5 is 'critical energy infrastructure.' 'We value our relationships with all the communities and community members in areas where Enbridge has assets,' Duffy said. 'As we continue to move closer to construction on the Great Lakes Tunnel Project, we remain committed to including tribes and tribal citizens in this incredibly important and consequential project and welcome constructive dialogue and engagement.' He said the State of Michigan has already provided environmental permits for the project, and the Michigan Public Services Commission approved the new pipeline segment under the Straits of Mackinac. 'Line 5 is critical energy infrastructure,' Duffy said. 'Enbridge submitted its permit applications in April 2020 for the Great Lakes Tunnel, a project designed to make a safe pipeline safer while also ensuring the continued safe, secure, and affordable delivery of essential energy to the Great Lakes region …However, after nearly five years, the project still awaits action by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on an environmental impact statement and a permitting decision.' Carrie Fox, public affairs specialist for the Corp's Detroit district, responded to ICT's request for comment with an email outlining the procedures for emergency permits. 'The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is continuing efforts to implement the January 20, 2025, Presidential Executive Order 14156 - Declaring a National Energy Emergency,' Fox said. 'During declared emergency events such as this national energy emergency, longstanding USACE regulations allow divisions to establish emergency permitting procedures to expedite the coordination efforts with federal, state, and tribal partners for comment,' Fox wrote. 'On 17 March, USACE Headquarters instructed division commanders to establish these procedures. Once established, districts will post the procedures in a public notice. These procedures will cover applications for Department of the Army permits related to the energy activities covered by Executive Order 14156.' 'Fossil fuel subsidy in disguise' Enbridge's Line 5 begins its 645-mile run in Superior, Wisconsin, at the company's manifold and runs through northern Wisconsin, parts of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation, east through Michigan's Upper Peninsula and under the Straits of Mackinac, before terminating in Sarnia, Ontario. The line carries up to 540,000 barrels per day of light crude oil and synthetic crude, as well as natural gas liquids such as propane. About four miles of the line rest underwater on the lake bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. In 2018 and 2019, the pipeline was struck by ship anchors in the straits' busy shipping lanes. Although no oil was spilled during these accidents, opponents note that Line 5 has leaked in other areas, releasing over 1 million gallons of oil in various spots in the past 50 years. According to tribes and other critics of the project, a spill in the straits would have catastrophic effects on the environment, water, fish and wildlife, and would endanger tribal members' abilities to practice their subsistence ways of life protected under the Treaty of 1836. In 2010, Enbridge's Line 6B ruptured, spilling 3.3 million gallons of tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River. The president's order states that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should take 'prompt and appropriate action' concerning the use of emergency Army Corps permits. 'The United States' ability to remain at the forefront of technological innovation depends on a reliable supply of energy and the integrity of our nation's electrical grid,' according to the executive order. 'There is no national energy emergency,' Debbie Chizewer, an Earth Justice attorney representing the Bay Mills tribe, told ICT. 'This is really a fossil fuel subsidy in disguise. The project doesn't add to American energy capacity because oil is already flowing through the pipeline.' Looking ahead Chizewer and Gravelle both noted that most of the product flowing though Line 5 originates and terminates in Canada. Enbridge's Line 3, which originates in Hardisty, Ontario, carries petroleum products traveling east through Minnesota before terminating in the company's manifold in Superior, Wisconsin. Line 5 then carries the products through Wisconsin, Michigan and back to Canada in Sarnia. Line 5 also supplies some propane to U.S. locations along its route through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Under the Biden administration, the Army Corps was preparing a draft Environmental Impact Statement after receiving more than 17,000 public comments on the tunnel project. An internal memo circulated in early January before Trump took office directed the agency to assess the risk of oil spills before approving the tunnel project, and to consider other alternatives in its review. The letter was written by former Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jaime Pinkham. Gravelle noted that PInkham's memo has not been rescinded. 'So what we have now are two conflicting federal mandates,' Gravelle said. Tribes will, however, continue to participate as consulting parties for the project under the National Historic Preservation Act, according to David Gover of the Pawnee and Choctaw tribes. He is an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, which is representing the tribes. 'The emergency order essentially eliminates the tribes' opportunity to have a full consultation on the project,' he said. Enbridge still needs permits from Michigan's Department of Environment and Great Lakes and Energy before going forward with the project, however, and still must go through Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office. Whitmer has long been an opponent to the project, previously ordering the state's Department of Natural Resources to revoke the permit allowing Enbridge to operate the pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. According to Michigan Advance, attorneys for Whitmer and Michigan's Department of Natural Resources are currently looking to dismiss legal challenges from Enbridge. 'Uniquely, we have every single tribal nation in the state of Michigan standing up and saying the tunnel is a bad idea; it was a bad idea when it was first built in 1953 and it continues to be a bad idea now,' Gravelle said. 'How can we allow an oil and gas pipeline to run through the largest freshwater body resource in North America where 40 million people rely on it for drinking water on a daily basis?' she asked. 'It just doesn't make any sense.' Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter. ICT, formerly Indian Country Today, is a nonprofit news organization that covers the Indigenous world with a daily digital platform and news broadcast with international viewership
