The Grand Island Nishnaabe

The Grand Island Nishnaabe had many of their spring, summer, and fall needs met on the island, but they also visited the mainland for seasonal foods and hunting. Sand Point provided luscious cranberries. The Anna River and other streams provided fish in the spring as they moved into the creek for spawning. Lake Superior supplied the Nishnaabe with trout, whitefish, perch, and pike. The Grand Island reefs were fished by flambeau (torch), spearing and netting., Five Mile Point was a favorite location for blueberries and as a hunting area which supplied the Nishnaabe not only meat but also hides for tanning and clothing. The Au Train River was used by the Nishnaabe for picking herbs used in medicines. The Au Train Plains provided rich harvests of blueberries. Trapping on Grand Island and the mainland supplied furs for warm clothing and food. The island and mainland were their "play ground" for thousands of years., An ancient Ojibwa portage trail exists in this area between Lakes Superior and Michigan. Today, hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders traverse the Bay de Noc - Grand Island Trail within the Hiawatha National Forest., The "Face In The Rock" was a tribute left by a French voyager in 1820 of a Nishnaabe, Powers of the Air, who survived the bloody battle fought against the Sioux Tribe in Minnesota. Many small burial grounds dot the southern shores of Lake Superior where the Nishnaabe have laid their people to rest., The tragic story of the carving and of the Grand Island Chippewa is told by local author Loren Graham in his book A Face in the Rock.