Walk the Path to the Hidden Native Settlement

Walk the Path to the Hidden Native Settlement. . , By the 1880s the homes and sacred places of the Anishinaabe people had to be hidden from the white man. A native village is hidden behind this woods., Time of transition , Federal policy of the late 1800s dictated that Indians be enculturated into the white man's way including giving up their native language. The men's hair was cut, their clothing was changed, and they were moved from longhouses into slab houses. They were converted from hunters and gatherers into the white man's world of farmers and loggers. Fishing became a huge business and is still part of tribal life!, The women changed the way they dressed but kept some native traditions alive from quill work, to beading, and making baskets and jewelry. These items were sold to summer tourists for cash. Women also cleaned homes for the rich people on Mackinac Island and of Harbor Springs. Berry picking produced part of the family's winter food but berries. were also sold in birch bark baskets., [Captions:] , Keeping the Past Alive , The Mackinaw Area Historical Society has several events at this site each year., . August Teachings of the Medicine Wheel and The Seven Grandfather's Teaching., . September Drum Making and Quill Workshops., . Fall Ghost Supper honoring our ancestors thru the Spirit Fire., Anishinaabe descendants participate with folks from all ancestral heritage., Sacred medicines are planted around the medicine wheel.