As ancestors of European colonizers, we respectfully honor and acknowledge that the lands where we guide are within the original territories of the Anishinaabek tribes, also known as the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples.
We acknowledge that the wild food and beauty that we benefit from and seek to share are an integral part of Indigenous heritage – for the Indigenous peoples that live here now, and those who were forcibly removed through the 1821 Treaty of Chicago and the 1836 Treaty of Washington. We also recognize with deep gratitude that the knowledge of wild food comes to us from Indigenous peoples.
It is our hope and intention to support awareness of ongoing Indigenous presence in west Michigan by speaking of Tribes in the present tense, speaking honestly about the true history of this land and constantly seeking to better understand this history ourselves.
To love a land as beautiful as Michigan is a gift, and we acknowledge the original peoples of this land with respect and honor.
To learn more about the Indigenous peoples and history of the Grand Rapids region, click HERE.
To support the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians’ efforts to become federally recognized, click HERE.
