Michigan Indian Day – September 27, 2024

History of Michigan Indian Day

Michigan was home to several Native American tribes before European powers landed there to settle colonies. The largest were the Ojibwe, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi, who formed an alliance referred to as ‘Anishinaabe.’ The first European settlement in Michigan was in 1668 and was called Sault Ste. Marie by French missionaries. The following years saw immense exploitation of the state’s Native peoples after France’s defeat in the Seven Years’ War, leading to Michigan being handed over to the British. Native tribes were enraged at the way the British treated them which eventually led to Pontiac’s War in 1763.

The American Revolution saw Native American tribes, in aid of the British, attacking American settlements — which culminated in the British securing Michigan. Later on, with French aid, American revolutionaries took back the area. After the 1783 Treaty of Paris, Michigan was handed over to the newly formed United States of America.

In 1974, Michigan Indian Day was enacted for the first time but it did not catch on until 2007. Today, the Native American peoples of Michigan form an indispensable part of the way the state of Michigan functions. Unfortunately, popular notions about Native Americans today put them in a space of relative invisibility. Michigan Indian Day, thus, plays an imperative role in bringing attention to the cultural significance of Native American peoples and their contributions to the history of Michigan.