County libraries to host 4-part lecture series exploring history of the Anishinaabe people
Four libraries throughout Ottawa County will host a lecture series that will explore Native American culture and history.
OTTAWA COUNTY — Four libraries throughout Ottawa County will host a lecture series that will explore Native American culture and history.
Loutit District Library, Spring Lake District Library, Hackley Public Library and Herrick District Library will welcome historian Eric Hemenway for a four-part lecture series March 19-20 that will cover West Michigan's Native American tribes, the Anishnaabek.
The Anishnaabek are a group of culturally and linguistically related indigenous peoples whose homelands span the Great Lakes region of North America, stretching across parts of the United States and Canada.
The library programs will explore the history of Indian Boarding Schools, the largest all-Indian regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War, Company-K and Chief Waukazoo’s band of Odawa.
"We could not be more honored to welcome Eric Hemenway, an Anishinaabe/Odawa, to present this series to kick off our America250 programming by exploring this part of our country's history," said Chelsea Payton, community engagement and marketing manager for Loutit District Library in Grand Haven.
Hemenway is the humanities manager for the School of Environmental and Sustainability at the University of Michigan and a lifelong researcher of Odawa history.
He has a lifelong involvement in researching Odawa history and has collaborated widely with museums, universities, the National Park Service, schools, and various governments in conducting and presenting research to a wide range of audiences, including students, staff, faculty and the general public.
The educational lectures will teach residents about the little-known experiences of some of Michigan's Native American tribes and how they made an impact on U.S. history.
The System of Assimilation:
Indian Boarding Schools
2 p.m. Thursday, March 19
Spring Lake District Library (Baird Program Room)
From 1879-1983, the federal government operated more than 400 Indian Boarding Schools designed for Native American children. These schools aimed not only to educate, but to erase Native cultures, languages, and identities. Michigan was home to five of these institutions.
Michigan Anishnaabek in the Civil War
6 p.m. Thursday, March 19
Loutit District Library (Program Room A)
2 p.m. March 20, Hackley Public Library (second presentation)
Michigan had the largest, all-Indian regiment in the Union Army: Company K. This group of Anishnaabek fought in pivotal battles that helped shape American history, yet little is known about them. This talk will discuss the details of the company and the complexity of its involvement in the war.
Chief Waukazoo’s Band of Odawa Indians
5 p.m. March 20
Herrick District Library Main Branch
Before Holland, Black Lake. The Odawa history of the Holland area before Dutch settlement. This conversation will touch upon the history of Chief Waukazoo’s band of Odawa at Black Lake and their odyssey to maintain a permanent home in their ancestral lands.
All the programs in the lecture series are free to attend; registration is recommended but not required.
— Submitted by Loutit District Library. To submit a news tip, email newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
