Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrated On Campus

Northern Michigan University's Center for Native American Studies celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday with a series of events that culminated in a drum circle at the CNAS Fire Site Pavilion on campus.

Weaving seamlessly between Anishinaabemowin and English, CNAS Director Tyler Dettloff opened Monday's Indigenous Peoples Day celebration with a short speech thanking the group of faculty, staff, students and community members gathered to celebrate the day for the sixth time on campus.

"It's really fun to be able to celebrate this day in creative ways," Dettloff said.

The crowd gathered in John X. Jamrich Hall listened to several short speeches to start the celebration, including from Dettloff, Native American Student Association President Chris Shawa, ASNMU President Mikayla Christenson, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Unit 5 Director and Vice Chairman Tyler LaPlaunt '13, '15 and NMU President Chris Olsen.

Each spoke about the importance of recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day, with Christenson and Shawa highlighting the work done by prior NMU students to have the day officially recognized on campus.

"I want to shout out those people and thank them for all that they have done," Shawa said.

Olsen said the day was meant to "regularly and publicly acknowledge significant historical damage" Indigenous people had endured, "while simultaneously promoting Indigenous resilience and revival."

"As a U.S. historian, I will also emphasize that while Indigenous Peoples Day is certainly a day of celebration of culture, family and community, for the Indigenous members of the community themselves, it is also a day of healing from the ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma," Olsen said.

He also spoke about the high level of importance placed on Indigenous perspectives on campus, citing the university's strategic plan, "Our Compass," and primary strategy 1.2 "Nurture Indigenous perspectives, programs and peoples at NMU in order to honor, learn from and partner with the tribal nations that have thrived in our region for many generations.

"Our goal is to continue to intertwine Indigenous perspectives into our academic curriculum and the overall Northern student and employee experience," Olsen said.

The final speech came from LaPlaunt, who said there is much work yet to be done to strengthen relationships between NMU and local tribes, before commenting on what Indigenous Peoples Day meant to him.

"It's not to take away from any other history or anything else from anybody else; it's about recognizing the historic traumas that have happened to our people and the fact that we've already been here and we still are here," LaPlaunt said.

He also cited the strength that can be found in community and in bringing people together, offering his own experience as a student at NMU, when then-Professor Marty Reinhardt gave a lecture that set the course for LaPlaunt's career.

"It was one speech in one nutrition class that gave me the direction to connect my healthcare knowledge to tribal leadership and policy, and that's all it took," LaPlaunt said. "So I want to thank Dr. Reinhardt for everybody he's helped and the changes he's made in the world that he doesn't even understand that he's made yet."

Following LaPlaunt's speech, the group moved outside to walk from the territory acknowledgment sign to the Fire Site Pavilion.

Reinhardt, who is now a professor emeritus, attended the day's celebration on campus, offering his own thoughts on the importance of the territory acknowledgment sign.

"I think that's what today's celebration is all about, the counter narrative to colonization," Reinhardt said.

The day was cloudy, a slight mist in the air, as the procession made its way across campus to the CNAS Fire Site Pavilion near Whitman Hall.

A sacred fire had already been lit there by firekeeper Cody Mayer '20, an enrolled member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and former ASNMU president.

People gathered throughout the pavilion for the final event of the day, as the Teal Lake Singers drummed, singing with Mayer, LaPlant, Reinhardt and others.