Schoolcraft County is located on the ancient homelands of the Anishinaabeg (“Original People” or “Good Humans”), who began migrating to the Great Lakes region from the northeast coast around 900 CE following the Seven Fires prophecy. Over the next millennium, this land became inextricably linked to the Anishinaabeg culture and people. The original name for Manistique, where the District’s offices are located, is Onamanitikong (“vermillion,” after the reddish hue of the Manistique River).
The traditional Anishinaabeg way of life was forever altered with the arrival of French and English settlers in the early 1600s, with violence, forced assimilation, and the forced surrender of lands becoming commonplace in the following centuries. In the 1836 Treaty of Washington, the Ottawa and Chippewa signed away roughly 14,000,000 acres of land in the northwest Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula—approximately 37% of present-day Michigan—to the United States; Schoolcraft was among the ceded territory.
The Schoolcraft Conservation District recognizes the history of the land under our care, including those who were stewards here before us. We acknowledge the injustices that have occurred on this land are deep-rooted and still being experienced by our local indigenous communities. We value the ecological knowledge, insights, and perspectives these communities offer.
Today, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has a landholding and presence in Schoolcraft. We encourage anyone interested in learning more to visit their website at www.saulttribe.com/. A global map of indigenous homelands can be found here.
The traditional Anishinaabeg way of life was forever altered with the arrival of French and English settlers in the early 1600s, with violence, forced assimilation, and the forced surrender of lands becoming commonplace in the following centuries. In the 1836 Treaty of Washington, the Ottawa and Chippewa signed away roughly 14,000,000 acres of land in the northwest Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula—approximately 37% of present-day Michigan—to the United States; Schoolcraft was among the ceded territory.
The Schoolcraft Conservation District recognizes the history of the land under our care, including those who were stewards here before us. We acknowledge the injustices that have occurred on this land are deep-rooted and still being experienced by our local indigenous communities. We value the ecological knowledge, insights, and perspectives these communities offer.
Today, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has a landholding and presence in Schoolcraft. We encourage anyone interested in learning more to visit their website at www.saulttribe.com/. A global map of indigenous homelands can be found here.