Burn-Out: A People Displaced, But Not Destroyed

Burn-Out: A People Displaced, But Not Destroyed. Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (the Chaboiganing Band). , Evidence of many centuries of human settlement can be found throughout the Indian Point and Chaboiganing properties. Studies in the Indian Point Memorial Forest, by Dennis Albert and Leah Minc in the 1980s, revealed many corn cache pits that had been used by the area's original human occupants to store their harvests. Pottery fragments estimated to be more than 700 years old have been found, and soil studies revealed charcoal deposits produced by periodic fires set by native peoples while clearing plots for subsistence agriculture. , , The Chaboiganing Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians - today known as the Burt Lake Band (BLB) - presented the following information of this region's history: , , The BLB was a signatory to both the 1836 Treaty of Washington and the 1855 Treaty of Detroit. Through these and similar treaties, tribal nations ceded large tracts of land in the Great Lakes region to the United States in exchange for nominal financial compensation and the continuation of their rights to hunt, fish, and gather on traditional lands. Certain tracts of land were explicitly excepted from these cessations and reserved for the use of specific tribes, including the Chaboiganing Band which was to receive "One tract of 1,000 acres to be located by Chief Chingassanoo or the 'Big Sail,' on the Cheboygan River." To this day, the treaty has not been honored and the tribe functions without a reservation of its own. , , Approximately 20 miles south of the Straits of Mackinaw, there exists a series of interconnecting rivers and lakes. This "Inland Waterway," which was a major trade and transportation route for the natives, flows from Spring Lake near the Little Traverse Bay inland via Round Lake, Crooked Lake, the Crooked River, Burt Lake, Indian River, Mullett Lake, and the Cheboygan River to its outlet at Lake Huron. The Burt Lake Band originally settled on this peninsula conveniently located along the waterway and on the shores of Lake Chaboiganing. Chaboiganing, an Algonquin word for portage or "passing through," was appropriately given to this lake, one of the largest inland lakes of the waterway along which the Indians paddled their wiigwaas jiimaanan (birch bark canoes) for the purpose of trade and transportation. The peninsula was long known as "Indian Point." , , In 1840, William A. Burt surveyed the area and Lake Chaboiganing was renamed "Burt Lake." The indigenous Ottawa and Chippewa community came to be known as the Burt Lake Band. , , Beginning in 1850, Band members built at least twenty-one log cabins on their 411 acres of land that "...has been purchased by the said; The Governor of Michigan In Trust for the She boy gan Indians and his successors in office..." , , On October 15, 1900, the families of the BLB were unexpectedly and violently ousted from their homes and village on Indian Point by "legalized arson." Cheboygan banker and timber speculator, John McGinn, determined to remove the Native Americans from Indian Point and establish his own claim, obtained tax title to their lands. With the help of Cheboygan County sheriff, Fred Ming, the men moved from one log house to the next within the traditional Burt Lake Band village, dousing each with kerosene and then setting them ablaze while ordering everyone immediately off. Some accounts indicate that only the Catholic mission church remained standing. Descendants of this tribe today refer to this incident as the "Burn-Out." The removal violated a trust agreement between the tribe, the State of Michigan, and the U.S. Federal Government. The BLB continues to seek redress for this injustice and has submitted extensive documentation to support its petition for federal reaffirmation. , , Following the Burn-Out, many members of the BLB moved from the Point to Indian Trail (today, Indian Road) and the surrounding area. Having no money and no place to live, they were taken in by tribal members who already resided on or near Indian Trail. Local land records show a number of homes being built on the Nongueskwa and Massey homesteads. The census and other township documents also show that tribal members displaced by the Burn Out were allowed to camp and eventually build on land owned by other tribal families who held title to property on Indian Road. While some families may have sought refuge in Middle Village, Harbor Springs, or Cross Village, the core of the community was reestablished on Indian Trail. Seeking economic opportunities in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, some BLB families moved downstate. , , Today, many tribal members hope to migrate back to their traditional "homelands" which many maps still refer to as "Indianville." The Burt Lake Band continues to operate a tribal office in Brutus which focuses on social, cultural, and economic development. Emphasis on environmental protection, restoration and the preservation and promotion of the native language continue. , , Top image caption: Burt Lake Indian Village, 1890. All but one house and the church was burned by the order of the Circuit Court on October 15, 1900. , , Middle image caption: May Na-go-mah, an 85 year old Elder of the Band at the time of the Burn Out, was forced to walk from the Indian village through autumn rains to find safe refuge. She died soon after. Here she is shown selling birchbark and quill blankets of berries to the tourists aboard the boats of the Inland Waterway. , , Bottom image caption: Antoine and Sophie Shananaquet Family descendants are some of the current members of the Burt Lake Band. , , Special Thanks: Some information in this publication came from previous documents written by Susan Alexander, Amy Colligan, Ruth Flanagan, Melinda Huffman, and Chuck Robbins. Thanks also to Matt Pierle, Kate Tuohy, Rick Wiles, and the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.