INDIANLAKEROAD,DOWAGIAC

Mno bmadzewen in a Changing Climate

By Cusi Ballew, Cultural Sustainability Lead

The key to a viable future lies in the wisdom of our ancestors, and our own commitment to our descendants. When Europeans colonists came to Turtle Island, they wrongly judged the indigenous inhabitants to be living in a primitive state. The truth is that the many nations residing here were using technologies that respected their relationship with the other beings of the lands and waters of Turtle Island. Our cultural teachings and stories warn us of the dangers of taking more than we need, of disrespecting the animals and plants that we rely on for all things.

In 1491 we were not living as we were out of a lack of ability to live like the Europeans, but because of our distinct cultural differences, that led us to live that way. We had all we needed and lived in the abundance of the lands that we had tended for thousands of years. The settlers saw wilderness in the forests, wetlands, and prairies. The richness of this land, which has made the US the wealthiest nation on earth, was not a product of having not been used, but rather the result of generations of tending the land, respectful harvest, and ensuring that not just some, but all flourished on this land. We have all heard quotes of indigenous people telling settlers that the land and the waters, the plants and the animals, have limits, and cannot be exploited without dire consequences. I have always understood from those quotes and the stories that we tell, that we had once learned the hard way, and had adjusted our lifestyle to ensure that we would flourish forever alongside the rest of creation.

All of this is important, not as a historical lesson, or a glorification of our indigenous ancestors, but because, in order to survive here on our grandmother earth, we must realign our relationships to one another, and to the other beings of Turtle Island. We have to set ethical goals for our lives and for our societies as a whole and test our decisions against these ethics. Our ancestors knew that society and culture are constant experiments, and when an experiment is yielding bad results, then we need to try something else. We may never again live exactly as the Potawatomis lived in 1491, and we don’t have to. But as modern peoples, we need to look to the teachings and wisdom of our indigenous ancestors and work towards living in right relation with the land, water, and other beings around us. The world has changed quite a bit since 1491. It is my hope, that with our teachings and culture to guide us, we can use the resources we have as a nation to help make the world a livable place for our descendants, and the descendant of our non-human relatives, and in doing so, make our ancestors proud. Migwėtth for reading these words.

Cusi’s role as the Cultural Sustainability Lead is a newly created position. If you have ideas for workshops, or programs you would like to participate in, help with, or teach, please contact him at (269) 519-0097 or Peter.Gibbons-Ballew@ PokagonBand-nsn.gov

This article was written at the request for a short article, for the Holland Sentinel, about a presentation I did in Holland for a sustainability series. At a request by Pokégnêk Yajdanawa to print it in the upcoming newsletter, I modified it for a Pokagon audience.

From our Tribal Court

Associate Justice

Angel R. Riley

“It is my honor and privilege to work with the Pokagon Band in a judicial capacity. Serving as Chief Justice for my own tribe’s (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) Supreme Court has been incredibly rewarding, allowing me to use my legal education to give back to my own tribal Nation. As Potawatomi people, we are all related. This makes serving on the Pokagon Band’s Court of Appeals even more meaningful to me, I get back to Oklahoma as often as I can. When I returned last summer for re-election as Chief Justice of my own tribe’s Supreme Court (which I won!), I had the honor of swearing in our Vice Chair, Linda Capps. And, of course, I joined all tribal leadership in dancing in Grand Entry and participating in the Potawatomi Festival. Miigwetch!”

Ki gkéndan né Did you know?

The Memorial Day weekend Pow Wow is called ‘Ggaténmamen Gdankobthëgnanêk’ which means we are honoring our ancestors & grandchildren, ndankobthëgen means the one I am tied to thru generation. It is related to the term tkwëbthëgën / tkobthëgen which means something you use to tie with (could be twine). A term you can call your grandchild when speaking to them is ‘kobdé’.

Pokagon Band Citizens Invited to Tour Crystal Springs Campground

On Wednesday, May 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Pokagon Band citizens are invited to visit and tour the Crystal Springs Campground, located one mile south of the Rodgers Lake Campus, at 33774 Crystal Springs Street in Dowagiac. The property was acquired by the Pokagon Band in 2021 from its former owner, Michigan Area United Methodist Camping, which operated a religious camp on the site for 160 years.

Crystal Springs Campground encompasses more than 32 acres, including more than 2,000 feet of riverfront along the Dowagiac River as well as several structures used by the religious camp until its closing in 2019.

The Community Development team and other department team members are developing program concepts for the future use of the camp consistent with previous citizens recommendations, for consideration by Pokagon Band Leadership later this year.

Team members will be on the site between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m to guide visitors who may wish to tour the site and to answer questions about the site and opportunities for its future use and development. Tours will be held every halfhour, or more frequently as needed. Visitors are asked to remain with a guide for their safety while on the site, which is otherwise closed to unauthorized entry at this time.

Visitors are invited to meet at the former camp manager’s house (labeled “20” on the map), located near the southeastern corner of the site. Visitors should enter the site at the eastern gate, at 33744 Crystal Springs Street, Dowagiac, .25 miles west of the intersection of Crystal Springs Street and Reynolds Road. If department of education