Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Watersmeet — A history of the Anishinaabe people is the focus of a traveling exhibit called “The Seventh Fire,” running from March 11-22 at the Ottawa National Forest Visitor Center in Watersmeet.
“Anishinaabe” means “the original people” and also refers to the Ojibwe, who compose Watersmeet’s Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
The word is pronounced ah-nish-i-NAW-bee.
Organizers of the exhibit report that it will include a timeline of the Anishinaabe, as well as “videos that show the many different perspectives on decolonization and Anishinaabe culture, including foodways, education, sovereignty and the challenges of living in a colonized world.”
“I’m really excited about it,” said Charly Loper, public relations director for the Ottawa National Forest office in Bessemer.
By phone on Tuesday, Loper said that one important focus of the exhibit will be the acknowledgment of the past use of boarding schools in relation to Native Americans in Michigan.
“The Walking Together: Finding Common Ground Traveling Exhibit Project” was developed by the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan in conjunction with the Great Lakes Peace Center.
Along with the Peace Center and the Diocese, the following parties worked together for several months to develop “The Seventh Fire” exhibit: Beumier U.P. Heritage Center, Center for Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University, and the Native American Student Organization.
Those parties report that “The Seventh Fire” title is from the Seven Fires Prophecies, which are integral to the Anishinaabe culture.
The exhibit will be open to members of the Lac Vieux Desert Band on March 11, followed by an opening to the general public from March 12-22.
Open times will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Ottawa National Forest Visitor Center is located at E 23979 U.S. 2 in Watersmeet.
