KBIC NEWS
NAMEBINI GIIZI – SUCKER FISH MOON
17th Winter Traditional Pow Wow
A cold winter day brought many travelers and community members into the warmth of the Niiwin Akeaa Community Center gymnasium for the 17th Winter Traditional Pow Wow. The KBIC Cultural Committee hosts this yearly event, which spends months preparing. Grand entries were held at 1 PM and 6 PM with Head Veteran Dancer Lawrence Williams, Veteran Honor Guard
Wiikwedong Ogichidaa Society, Head Man Dancer Donald Chosa III, and Head Lady Dancer Jolene Passmore leading all dancers into the arena.
Master of Ceremonies for Saturday's Pow Wow was George Strong, with George Gauther and
IN THIS ISSUE
Robert Mongozid as Arena and Assistant Arena Directors.
Youth Head Man Dancer was Dasan Smith, Youth Head Lady Dancer was Kayla Dakota, Youth Head Boy Dancer was Austin Shelifoe, Junior Head Girl Dancer was Lily Passmore, and the host drum was Woodland Singers.
Royalty in attendance was Miss Junior Keweenaw Bay, Adrianna Kyllonen, and Miss Keweenaw Bay, Keira Dakota
Honored tribal elders included Dianne Charron and Ted Shalifoe. Pink Shawl Honor Dance was held for Beverly Lussier and Toni Minton. Community members Tina Owens, Rosalinda Freida, and Tribal President Doreen Blaker prepared the feast
2023 TRIBAL COUNCIL
Doreen Blaker, President
Toni J. Minton, Vice President
Elizabeth "Liz" Julio, Secretary
Robert R.D. Curtis, Jr, Asst. Secretary
Theodore "Austin" Ayres, Treasurer
Eddy Edwards
Everett Ekdahl, Jr.
Sue Ellen Elmblad
Randall Haataja
Kim Klopstein
Susan J. LaFernier
Rodney Loonsfoot
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Honored Elders:
Dianne Charron is the daughter of Florence Larson and Lloyd Asher. She has two children, Mick Charron and Tony Charron, and two grandchildren, Eddy Charron and Eva Charron. She has two brothers, Billy Oleneack and Michael Schmitz
Dianne spent her working years with General Motors, Checkers Motors, Swede's Bar, and as the Sewing Instructor for KBIC. She has been a member of the Cultural Committee, Ojibwa Senior Citizens, and the Civil Rights Committee during her time at General Motors. Dianne enjoys sewing, crafting, painting, and stainglass.
Theodore (Ted) Shelifoe, Baawitig Nibi (Rapid Water), is the son of Richard and Sarah Shalifoe. His siblings include Dicky, Fred, Janice, Matt, Dan, Myrtle, Molly, Ginnyann, and Donald. He has two children, Anthony Shalifoe and Michael Shalifoe, four grandchildren, Ethan, Amber, Anthony, and Aliyah, and three great-grandchildren, Nevaeh, Jada, and Roman
Ted joined the Armed Forces in 1965 and served five years in the Navy. He is now a member of the KBIC Color Guard. He spent 35 years working for Consumer's Energy Company in Traverse City, where he retired.
He enjoys basketball, golf, softball, bowling, and nature rides on Beartown road He enjoys living with other seniors at Superior View Seniors housing, and his family always comes first.
Captain, Danika Strong, Hope Minton, Cody Blue, Dante Loonsfoot, Shiloh Lussier, Shyla Lussier, Shawna Lussier, and Pumpkin Lussier, and sixteen great-grandchildren
During her work years, Beverly worked as a BIA Secretary and a Bartender at Swede's Bar. She is a member of the KBIC Cultural Committee and a former KBIC Tribal Council member. Beverly enjoys sewing, beading, quilting, computer games, bowling many years ago, and softball when she played for the Zeba Bearwalkers
Beverly is a two-time cancer survivor She had kidney cancer in 2001 and breast cancer in 2021. She recommends listening to your instincts. "If you feel something is wrong with your body, let your doctor know," said Beverly. Her kidney cancer was only found by mentioning that she felt like she had a baby kicking her doctor. A routine mammogram found her breast cancer; she had a lumpectomy and radiation treatments Beverly is now cancer free!
Toni Minton Gezhikanung is the daughter of Beverly Lussier and Adam Lussier. Her siblings include Jeff Minton, Peggy Loonsfoot, and Shawn Lussier She has two children, Danika Strong and Hope Minton, and five grandsons, Kydan, Preston, Liam, Landon, and Levit; she is waiting impatiently for a granddaughter someday.
Toni has worked as a Bookkeeper and Payroll Clerk for KBIC, an Accounting Tech for the State of Michigan, a Bingo Worker for Big Bucks Bingo, a Blackjack Dealer at the Ojibwa Casino, and a Lab Tech She is a KBIC Cultural Committee member and currently Vice-President of the KBIC Tribal Council. Toni enjoys gardening, reading, playing computer games, and spending time with her grandchildren and nieces. She used to league bowl and horseshoe.
Toni was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 after finding a lump and bringing it to the attention of her Nurse Practioner With medical travel assistance and referrals from KBIC, she sought treatment at Mayo Clinic. She underwent a double mastectomy and is now cancer free! "I am truly grateful for the support of my family and tribe!" said Toni. "I highly recommend women to get their yearly mammograms and breast health check. Early detection saves lives "
Pink Shall Honor Dance:
Beverly Lussier Waubana gezhig go quay is married to the late Adam Lussier. She is the daughter of Ernest and Evelyn Holappa. Her siblings include Ted Holappa and Peggy Dunn Beverly has four children, Jeff Minton, Tony Minton, Peggy Loonsfoot, and Shawn Lussier, and thirteen grandchildren, Justine Minton, Lakota Captain, Hunter
Miigwetch, to the many people who dedicated their time and efforts to bring the Land Claims Bill to fruition. It has taken decades but is now moving forward and formally presented in Washington, DC. Our most humble thanks go to our ancestors whose love and dedication to their future generations are the reason we are able to bring forward the KBIC Land Claims Bill today.
President BlakerKeweenaw Bay Land Claims Settlement Act of 2023 Moves Forward
Washington, DC – Our U.S. Congressional Delegation introduced legislation on January 31, 2023 to resolve the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s (“Community” or “KBIC”) longstanding land claims for the unlawful taking of some of our Reservation lands.
Through the 1842 and 1854 Treaty of LaPointe, the United States recognized and preserved the Tribe’s right of occupancy of certain lands within KBIC’s historic land base and established the L’Anse Reservation Despite these treaty promises, the federal government unlawfully transferred various lands within the boundaries of the L’Anse Reservation to the State of Michigan.
The Community’s loss of at least 4,000 acres of Swamp Lands and Canal Lands without just compensation has impacted the exercise of cultural, religious, and subsistence rights; and limited the ability of the Community to fully develop its Reservation economy. These lands were also protected property under the U.S. Constitution and any taking by the federal government demands just compensation.
“Working together to find solutions to our toughest challenges is what makes our area so special,” said Representative Bergman. “I'm proud of the work we've done to find a non-partisan solution to right the wrongs of the federal government and ensure that all parties involved, from the KBIC to the current landowners, have a lasting solution to this decades-long challenge ”
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claims Settlement Act (“KBIC Settlement Act”) was developed after working closely for several years with our neighboring communities, the State of Michigan, and our U.S. Congressional Delegation The KBIC Settlement Act:
• Acknowledges the uncompensated taking by the federal government of the Reservation Swamp Lands and the Reservations Canal Lands;
• Provides compensation to the Community for those takings;
• Extinguishes all claims by the Community to those lands;
• Confirms the ownerships by the current landowners of those lands; and
• Extinguishes all potential claims by the Community concerning title to, use of, or occupancy of those lands that had not already been recovered by the Community
“I worked alongside the tribe and local community to bring forth this needed solution, and I'm
pleased the bill will also provide legal clearance for local residents who currently own the property at issue,” said Senator Peters
“This legislation is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together and work in the spirit of cooperation,” said Keweenaw Bay Indian Community President Doreen Blaker.
“We are proud of our Congressional Michigan Delegation for taking a stand and doing the right thing, “said Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Vice President Toni Minton.
The Community would like to thank Baraga County, the Village of L’Anse, the Village of Baraga, and the State of Michigan for our efforts. Finally, the Community sends our utmost gratitude to Senator Gary Peters, Senator Debbie Stabenow, and Representative Jack Bergman for thoughtfully reviewing the facts surrounding our land claims, and seeing the importance of resolving those claims with this legislation
The Community looks forward to advancing the bipartisan bill through the legislative process. Enactment of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Settlement Act will have wide-reaching benefits. KBIC will finally compensated for the taking of our invaluable lands and the resulting missed opportunities; our neighbors will have clear title to their lands; and the Federal government will right an historical wrong.
January is always a month that likes to linger and feel like it takes forever to get through, so Happy February all, we made it! It was a busy month meeting with staff and establishing our annual department goals for the year Many have now met with their staff and are all on their
way to meeting deadlines following-up, and creating a new sense of motion for their departments.
At the January 18th Tribal Council meeting, there were several changes made to the following Personnel policies for employees:
• 12.5 Mental Health Day
• 16.0 Career Development Leave
• 18.0 Bereavement Leave
Hope Laramore, Personnel Director, sent all Government staff a copy of the updated Personnel handbook and an updated form to go with 16 0 Career Development
Another change that took place this month was moving the Language Program from under direct supervision of the Cultural Resources/THPO Department to the Education Department I felt this change allows for a more streamlined vision for our language activities in schools and the community. Our Education Director has great experience with programming, grant oversight, and language curriculum so it was a natural fit. With that, our Language staff can now be found (when not in the schools) at the Niiwin Akeaa Center in the Education offices.
This month we also had our kick-off meeting to begin the KBIC branding and website updates with The Marketing Department out of Houghton. I am very excited about this project and hope not only the staff but the community as a whole like what we are moving towards. We are hoping for a website that provides more direct access to department information, news and events, a member portal, a community calendar, and more. On the branding side, we are looking to update the look and feel that KBIC has to offer by telling our story better and utilizing images and graphics to assist with that. All good things on the way!
I hope everyone has a great (short) month – stay warm, stay active, and stay healthy!
Brigitte
Jessica A. Rickert, DDS, Anishinaabe Dental Outreach
Daniel Connor, #34 for the Baraga Vikings Varsity basketball team.
Daniel Connor, #34 for the Baraga Vikings Varsity basketball team
