  Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 462 Registered: 08-2007 |
NAIA (North American Indian Association) is celebrating Michigan Indian Day at Historic Fort Wayne with an event celebrating our Youth and Culture. Friday, September 28, 2007, from 12-4. NAIA will present: Drumming Dancing Native Artisans selling their crafts Native food available for purchase Free Event, Bring a lawn chair NOTE: The fourth Friday in September was designated Michigan Indian Day by Governor William Milliken in 1984. | ||
Usnsubvet77 Member Username: Usnsubvet77 Post Number: 36 Registered: 07-2007 |
Gazhekwe, As a Project Planning Committee member of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, I would like to make a proposal to, perhaps, help make your event more fulfilling for the NAIA and spectators. The burial mound at the Fort has an overgrowth of trees within the fenced in area and I propose the following. Considering the sensitivity and respecting the rites of the Native American culture, we have not entered into the burial mound area to remove these trees. However, we are conducting our September workday on the 15th from 9a-5p. I propose that, if you find this acceptable to be beneficial for your event and a cultural learning experience for the Coalition, we work together to remove these trees. By removing these trees and exposing the area, this would project the burial mound with the respect and honor befitting such a piece of history. If the 15th is not workable, I am sure we can lend available man power at another time prior to Michigan Indian Day. We would obviously move only under NAIA guidance to defoliate this area. We have a few members of the NAIA within the Coalition in addition to several members of Native American heritage. We would be more than happy to assist in removing the trees from outside the mound perimeter to prevent any site desecration to respect and maintain the cultural property, which is yours. Let me know what you think and I will be more than happy to correspond and be a liaison between the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition and the NAIA. Best Regards, Historic Fort Wayne Coalition Projects Planning Committee Secretary www.historicfortwaynecoalition .com | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 465 Registered: 08-2007 |
That's a great idea, although possibly short notice. Thanks for bringing it up. Will you be having an October Work Day as well? We might get more help by showing the need on Indian Day. I will see if I can put this before the NAIA board. I haven't been by there, how big and how many are the trees, and what would it take to remove them? Are you thinking roots and all? | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 183 Registered: 02-2007 |
Gazhekwe- I, along with Subvet, am also a member of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition. I also serve as a member of the Projects Committee. The Coalition has been trying for quite some time to coordinate with someone from the NAIA in regard to the Burial Mound at Fort Wayne, but we have been unable to make much headway. Perhaps you could be that connection? Subvet is correct: we only wish to help-out and pay homage to those that the mound was built for. The current condition of the Mound is atrocious. I spoke with Art at the Native American Heritage Day at Hines Park last Saturday, and he said then that he would speak to Rick Schott in regard to this matter. I also gave Art my personal e-mail and asked him to coordinate whatever they decided through me if he wished. In regard to the size/amount of the trees, I would speculate that there are approximately 50 to 75 trees of perhaps 1" to 3" diameter and anywhere from 4' to 8' or more. These trees would have to be cut as low to the ground as possible and sprayed, as this would be the least intrusive method. That way we would not have to "dig in" and remove the roots, either. It is quite an overgrown area and is completely encompassed by an 8' tall fence. Normally, for an 8 hour workday, this would require 6 to 8 of our members to clear completely. As Subvet said, we can provide people who will remain sensitive to the task at hand, including Native Americans, of which I myself am one who would be proud to have such a privilage. Finally, there is a workday on October 13 as well. If all else fails we can shoot for that day! Please contact either Subvet or myself if we or the Coalition can be of any assistance in this matter. Thanks, PlymouthRes | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 472 Registered: 08-2007 |
I'll work on this tomorrow. I am a member but not on the Board, so I don't have any particular clout. It's good to know that this has already been discussed. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 691 Registered: 08-2007 |
Update on cleaning up the Indian Mound at Fort Wayne. Thank you very much for coming up with the idea and the willingness to work on it. I finally talked to Rick and Art at the celebration Friday. They have made some contacts trying to locate a related group and best address the issue. We seem to share a belief that the native trees must also be respected, and the addition of a foreign substance to poison the roots doesn't sit well. We will continue to work on a plan for best maintaining the site and will be very grateful for your assistance. One of the problems is identifying a related group. The main group in the area were the Potawatomi, and they are no longer right on site, which is why the mound got in the condition it is. In the 1830s, with the Indian Removal Act, all the native people in this area were ordered to remove west of the Mississippi. Those that did not go willingly were forced. Some fled to other areas, and some blended in. The nearest group, which I think is the most likely to be involved and interested, is at Walpole Island. Another bunch relocated to the UP at Hannahville. We have contacted Hannahville and will be contacting Walpole about this. We need some elders to teach us the right way to go about caring for the mound in its current state. Again, I thank you for bringing this to our attention. | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 190 Registered: 02-2007 |
Gazhekwe- The mounds at Fort Wayne are from 750 A.D. and are thought to be of the Hopewell tribe or culture. There were originally three mounds on the site, but they were combined into one and moved in the late 1800's when white people did not understand the destruction they were causing by doing such things. This is not the case now, and that is why we have extended the offer to help out in any way that we can. Being Cherokee, and having lost my family members in the march of the Trail of Tears, I fully understand the dispersal problem, so a consultation of the elders is an excellent choice of paths to wisdom. Please let us know the outcome, and if we can be of any further assistance to your effort to restore the mound. As Art has my e-mail from the NAIA event at Hines Drive, please have him contact me when there is a decision as to which direction you would like to go. Thanks, PlymouthRes Historic Fort Wayne Coalition Projects Committee | ||
Usnsubvet77 Member Username: Usnsubvet77 Post Number: 40 Registered: 07-2007 |
Of course this may sound completed unresearched, but this might be an interesting bit of information. Either this needs to be corrected or it may help aid us in our cleanup. The following website about Native Americans in the Detroit area seems to indicated that the mounds in the Detroit area, specifically the one at Fort Wayne indeed were excavated in the late 1870's. However, the mounds were not from the Potowatamie but the Tuetle Indians <who preceeded the Wyandott indians in the Detroit Area. According to this history site, the mounds were built when there was fighting going on between tribes. Also, it states the belief that the Potowatamie's came later in the Detroit area. I don't know any of this history, but hopefully we may be able to reach the appropriate nation who can direct this clean up effort. Thank you for your willingness to cooperate in this effort. It will most definitely help tell the Detroit native american story as well as that of the Fort. http://www.geocities.com/michh ist/detroitnative.html Historic Fort Wayne Coalition Projects Committee - Secretary www.historicfortwaynecoalition .com | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10566 Registered: 12-2003 |
Why in the world would we assume that naturally growing trees would in any way dishonor the native dead?! Not a mystic native in my experience would kill any living thing just for aesthetics... | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 699 Registered: 08-2007 |
Well, our traditions say that we, the People of the Three Fires, did come into the area around 800-900, or maybe in the 1400s, depending on which source you look at. The Wyandots may well be the ones to contact. The Wyandot did still live here when the French came, along with the Potawatomi, Odawa and Ojibwe. AFAIK, they are now officially out west of the Mississippi. I know a local bunch surfaced during the discussions about the EMU team name, and there was someone working on reclaiming the BASF property for the Wyandot, I think, back in the 80s. I will see what I can find out. Thanks for the leads. | ||
Usnsubvet77 Member Username: Usnsubvet77 Post Number: 41 Registered: 07-2007 |
Just for clarification, I did not mean that the brush and burial mound needs to be corrected. I was referring to the information on the website that I cited. I would hate to be relying on incorrect information. Gannon - In no way am I saying that any naturally growing trees/bushes/plants etc. is dishonoring the dead. I have heard from members of the NAIA that there is interest in tidying up the area. As a member of the largest volunteer force at Fort Wayne, I am just trying to inform and get something started that other Native American's have expressed interest in. If there is a desire to leave the mound as is, I fully support that decision. However, I would just like the NAIA and other Native America organizations know, through open communication, that there is a helping hand available to assist in any endeavor they choose to follow. Just curious Gannon, have you seen the burial mound recently? | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10572 Registered: 12-2003 |
Oh no, I was just commenting on the killing of living things...nothing more. Now...if they could be coaxed to move themselves, and\or uprooted and very carefully replanted, I would have NO beef about this, save for the whole trampling underfoot thing. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 704 Registered: 08-2007 |
We felt uncomfortable with cutting the native trees, Gannon, but the three of us who were talking are not well studied in the proper way to maintain a burial mound, no matter whose it is. The underbrush and invasive plants are another matter. Those could probably be cleaned out with proper attention to the spirits. I had a good time studying the history you posted, usnsubvet. The French accounts speak of the times they were written, with little attention to history. Of course the history would have been oral stories, and they would have had to attend the winter fires to hear them. The Hurons (aka Wyandots) were reported to have come down from Mackinaw to settle at the invitation of the French, who seemed interested in gathering a goodly group of friendly tribes around them. This does not really say who was there in the centuries past, as the tribes all moved about quite freely. Mackinac was a sacred place where all tribes might gather. There is a Huron burial ground near St. Ignace. It has been looked into, and the people were buried sitting up. It will be interesting to see if we find any tradition and stories about these particular mounds, and what the consensus of the tribes may be in how to care for them. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 706 Registered: 08-2007 |
One more thing, the skeletons and artifacts are consistent with burials, not with defensive earthworks. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10628 Registered: 12-2003 |
I've never heard of any culture where the dead were buried sitting up...very curious! I'm only learning the Native ways, Gazhekwe, and continually learn that many of my habits and traits dovetail nicely with them...as if I knew in advance! I cannot kill even a fly randomly, and see beauty and balance everywhere in nature (that European man has somehow not yet tread, and sometimes even despite their worst actions). Once something has taken root and grown, it will be intertwined with the bones buried beneath the mound. Once the trees grow, they are life, and in my understanding should be honored and not hacked wantonly. IF they are to be killed, they should be apologized to, possibly explaining to them why. And then, they should be used for a good purpose, not simply discarded. Better to move them anyways, as long as their roots are NOT too deep. I think as long as their sprouts can find good schooling and decent new friends, they shouldn't complain much. (yes, that last one is a joke) I just have no clue how that intersects the honoring of the dead, something I am quite curious about...since the grasp that I have over the Native respect for ancestors is that they are spirit after death, perhaps back with the Great Spirit. If that is the case, I wonder how much trouble they have regarding bones that are slowly disappearing back into the earth. I suspect we could always ask them... | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 708 Registered: 08-2007 |
Bones are supposed to become part of the earth. The earth is our mother, and our bones come from her and go back to her. At the same time our spirits walk on into the Spirit world. Your feeling about the trees is close to what I feel, I don't feel right cutting the native trees. Some of the smaller plants may be sacred as well. We truly need the counsel of people who have studied these things. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 709 Registered: 08-2007 |
These are the words of the father of Chief Joseph of the Nimi'ipuu (Nez Perce): "My son, my body is returning to my mother earth, and my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit Chief. When I am gone, think of your country. You are the chief of these people. They look to you to guide them. Always remember that your father never sold his country. You must stop your ears whenever you are asked to sign a treaty selling your home. A few years more, and white men will be all around you. They have their eyes on this land. My son, never forget my dying words. This country holds your father's body. Never sell the bones of your father and your mother." (Message edited by gazhekwe on October 01, 2007) | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10632 Registered: 12-2003 |
There must be some kinda curse upon those who took this land, then. Boy am I glad I'm on the side of the indigenous folks. Mother is pissed at what they've done, too. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10633 Registered: 12-2003 |
Jams loaned me a cool book that I now allow him to visit occasionally, Rolling Thunder by a fellow named Doug Boyd. Coupled with my very mystical part-Cherokee step-father's tales and gifts...and an experience WITH the Great Spirit about 16 years ago (then a flow of continual 'encounters' and obvious physical protection, whether I consciously make an effort to be available or purposely NOT)...yeah, it's been SOME kinda instruction. I am very happy when I discover another way that I deeply understand of Native ways. This year I began to work the earth, and spend more time with our Mother. I have allowed myself, through an extended sabbatical, to largely disengage from the pace of western life. I've discovered many things about myself, what surrounds me, and even the flow of time itself. Been some curious lessons. I guess the biggest one IS that western man is cursed...I just didn't really understand why until we talked here. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 751 Registered: 08-2007 |
That is the curse, all right. We have Seven prophecies. In the time of the Sixth Prophecy, we begin to reclaim our spiritual and cultural teachings. In the time of the Seventh Prophecy, we are all faced with a choice. One choice leads to destruction, the other to renewal. I liked that book, Rolling Thunder. You could learn a lot from that one. The teaching I got the most from: There is a way to look at these things. | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 193 Registered: 02-2007 |
Gazhekwe- Apparently, the guy who has been the manager of the Fort since the early 80's and his partner, a West Point grad, who wrote the recently- introduced Arcadia Publishing book on Fort Wayne, did a lousy job of researching the book that they just co-wrote, because, right there on page 76 they mention the mound, it's desecration and a bit about what the mound contained. The photo that accompanies this item was provided by the Historical Museum. I also have read numerous articles in the media over the years about many of these mounds (there were originally three at Fort Wayne) and the fact that not only were they prevalent here, but also in Wisconsin and other various Northern fringe states. Most or all of the mounds were located near a river. Below is a direct quote from one of the foremost authorities on Hopewell cultures: "Hopewell culture is the term used to describe common aspects of the Native American culture that flourished along rivers in the northeastern and midwestern United States from 200 BC to 400 A.D. At its greatest extent, Hopewell culture stretched from western New York to Missouri and from Wisconsin to Mississippi, and included both the American and Canadian shores of Lake Ontario. Hopewell can also be considered a cultural climax. Origins of the Hopewell culture are still under discussion. "Hopewell populations originated in western New York and moved south into Ohio where they built upon the local Adena mortuary tradition. Or Hopewell was said to have originated in western Illinois and spread by diffusion - perhaps carried by a religious elite - to southern Ohio. Similarly, the Havana Hopewell tradition was thought to have spread up the Illinois River and into southwestern Michigan, spawning Goodall Hopewell" . Aside from the more famous Ohio Hopewell, a number of other Middle Woodland period cultures are known as "Hopewellian," including the Swift Creek culture, 100-500 A.D., the Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture, 100-300 A.D., the Marksville culture, 1-400 A.D., and the Copena culture, 1-500 A.D. Hopewell culture is known for its flamboyant burial ceremonialism, diversified material culture, and most importantly, exchange between other communities. Evidence for exchange can be found in exotic artifacts not native to the Hopewell region. With this exchange network, raw materials, as well as finished products were exported and imported. "It was thought that the distinctive Hopewellian artifacts were crafted specifically for mortuary ritual...however, many of the kinds of artifacts associated with human remains under the mounds were found also in settlement debris"" (Dancey, p.114), (Dancey, p.117).(Above quote from Dancey, William. “The Enigmatic Hopewell of the Eastern Woodlands.” North American Archaeology. Ed. Timothy R. Pauketat and Diana Dipaolo Loren. Malden: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2005. 108-137). I understand the need to proceed as cautiously as possible with the mound clearing at the Fort. I do believe that you are missing the point in regard to the need to "clean" the mound so that the ancestors are edified rather than dis-respected. The current state of the mound is appalling, period. It appears that we have abandoned our long departed, and have left them alone to fend-off the wild. I do not believe that gently cutting the small, and I mean small, saplings that have grown inside the perimeter of the fence to ground height is injuring or harming the "spirit" of the mound in any way. I have never, ever read anything that was derogatory in any of the many Native American references that I have or in any of the conversations that I have had with any of the elders that I have spoken to in regard to the normal need for maintainance around a burial site. I agree that digging of any type is definitely out. I also know that we are never to "forget" our ancestors and always keep their ways. By doing so, we never forget their sacrifices for us. How are we keeping their memory by abandoning their final resting place, allowing it to turn into an unkempt, forgotten corner of a place that many who came later forget was once their home? I believe to leave the mound in it's present condition is a shame and dis-respectful to all who have gone before us and their memories. Please take all of the time necessary to make the right decision and let us know how we can help. Sincerely, PlymouthRes Historic Fort Wayne Coalition Projects Committee | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 6433 Registered: 10-2003 |
Wow, thanks, PlymouthRes, for that information. I've also read sources that the Hopewell culture arised from Incan and Mayan roots. It's a incredible quandry, at the least. So sad, many of the clues have been lost or not found. I wonder how the history of this hemisphere would have been changed, if written languages were commonplace. Still wondering, as well, if the land bridge across the Bering Strait was the point of entry to this hemisphere. Why did the major "civilizations" prior to the European "discovery" develop in Central and South America? Please, I don't disdain any of the North American tribes' cultures, just trying to understand how a common causeway led to so many different cultures and languages. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 757 Registered: 08-2007 |
I don't think I was disparaging anyone's history, was I? I did just point out some of the history of our people, which I did not see in the account, not surprising, as it was not written history. I also want to reiterate that I am not qualified to say how the place should be treated. That's why I wanted to contact others. My own personal opinions should not be considered a basis for action. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10665 Registered: 12-2003 |
I was the only one begging attention to the life force in the trees themselves, but without anything near the context that PlymouthRes brings to the equation. I knew I was on the fringe, merely investigating whatever gut feeling I had on the matter, because I'd noticed that trend of at least similarity between things I'm MOST comfortable with and the mystical Native ways...the ones that have remained hidden from the White Man for so many generations. In no way did I intend on interfering with the honoring of the dead, rather seeing the whole from an external mystical perspective...thanks for filling out more of that whole, P-Res! Cheers! Bummed I missed the FSC tonight, I ended up not yet leaving for my trip, but was too exhausted to get back up and out of the loft, knowing I have to pack tonight in order to leave early in the morning. |
