Specific locations for two new historical and cultural markers conveying Anishinaabe histories and teachings were approved to be installed in late May or June by Leelanau Township at its regular board meeting this month.
One of the markers will appear at Peterson Park, and the other would be located at the Omena lakeside park.
Plans for the new signage were first approved by the township board last year in May, along with other fellow municipalities throughout the county. The newest action helps to pinpoint where history markers will be placed on township property.
The Kchi Wiikwedong Anishinaabe History Project is led by Emily Modrall, who is coordinating the effort with the Traverse Area Historical Society, who serves on the board of directors. The project’s mission is to elevate public awareness of the Anishinaabek’s long history in the Grand Traverse region by increasing accessible information.
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) Tribal Council has also approved the project and acts as a partner. The decisions related to the markers like the design and text were made by Anishinaabe collaborators, including an advisory group of Grand Traverse Band elders, in consultation with contracted designers and fabricators.
The GTB Cultural Services Department provided language translation for the markers. The signage, fabricated by Nuart Signs in Traverse City, will be bilingual in Anishinaabemowin and English, and is the primary tool for accomplishing this mission.
“I was so pleased that the township was able to move so quickly and be so receptive to the specific locations that the installation people and I proposed to them,” Modrall said. “The teaching on the Omena marker is honesty. The marker at Peterson Park tells the history of the Anishinaabe people in this region.”
Currently, there are nine markers total planned for installation, four in Grand Traverse and five in Leelanau County. There will be one marker each in Suttons Bay, Northport, and Leland Township, and two in Leelanau Township. Each marker is composed of a threedimensional steel form and a bronze plaque with bilingual text. Corten steel, which the signs will be made from, has an anticipated lifespan of 100 plus years, and its decorative perforation pattern is taken from Anishinaabe beadwork.
The historical markers are mounted on concrete pads, and prioritize accessibility, safety, and ease of long-term maintenance at each site. Chosen locations also avoid where markers might come into contact with road salt or sidewalk salt due to its corrosive properties. The Seven Grandfather teachings, which are the principles of character that Anishinaabe live by, will be written on seven of the nine monument signs and include: Love, respect, bravery, truth, honesty, humility, and wisdom. The other two signs will feature Anishinaabe history.
Modrall said the township’s historical markers, along with other neighboring municipalities if approved in the coming weeks, will be the first signage from the project to be installed in the county in May.
“If we can get it to line up conveniently, we’ll do that whole batch all at once, so ideally, we’ll do Suttons Bay, Northport, Omena, and Peterson Park all within the same week or so,” she said. “Each installation requires two visits to the site, one is to pour the concrete, and then the second one is for installing the actual marker.”
