Mid Michigan College, through a community partnership with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, is privileged to host, and offer to the community, an event focused on honoring indigenous peoples and their culture.
The event is taking place on the Mid Michigan College Mt. Pleasant Campus 10am-2pm Monday, October 10 in the Community Room, and will feature several special guests including Marcella Hadden, Dr. Bischoff, Isabelle Osawamick, leaders of several Michigan Tribes, and federal, state, and local representatives.
- Marcella Hadden is a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan and currently serves as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer located at the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways. She has worked for her Tribe for over 25 years and is also a professional photographer. She owns and operates a photography studio entitled Niibing Giizis (Summer Moon) with an emphasis on capturing Native American culture in her work.
- Dr. Shannon Bischoff completed his Ph.D. work in Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Arizona and the University of Tokyo. His work focuses on computational linguistics, formal (mathematical) linguistics, and linguistic anthropology. He is a member of UNESCO's International Decade of Indigenous Languages Regional Committee (North America) and the Global Ad-hoc group. He has published 7 books, numerous peer-reviewed articles, and given talks around the globe. He is a member of the Linguistic Society of America, the Society for the Study of Indigenous Languages of the Americas, and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. He has also taught at the American Indian Language Development Institute and The Institute on Collaborative Language Research as an invited instructor.
- Isabelle Osawamick is a fluent speaker of the Anishinaabe language from Wikwemikong Ontario, Canada. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aboriginal Studies from the University of Toronto and worked as a Cultural and Language teacher for Toronto Aboriginal Head Start where she was instrumental in starting Toronto’s four Anishinaabe Head Start schools. During this time she attended Lakehead University in Thunder Bay Ontario and earned a teaching certificate to teach Anishinaabemowin. She currently works as an Outreach Language Specialist for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan where she develops and facilitates Anishinaabemowin sessions and also does translations for the Tribe.
“We are excited to bring these experts, leaders, public servants, and cultural experiences together in an effort to respectfully observe this very meaningful day,” said Donna Sinclair, Mid Michigan College instructor and Honoring Indigenous Peoples Day event coordinator. “And we’re grateful to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe for partnering with us to make this event a reality.”
The event will also feature Elder’s Prayers and Blessings, Drum Circles, and a Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways traveling exhibit.
“We hope to see many community members, educators, and students take advantage of this opportunity to hear from, learn through, and connect with leaders and members of indigenous cultures,” noted Sinclair. “Our partnership with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is highly valued here at Mid and continues to grow in many positive ways.”
For more information about the Honoring Indigenous Peoples Day event visit midmich.edu/indigenous-peoples-day.
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