Native American Tribes

The event comes after bishops from around the U.S. wrote a letter apologizing for the church’s role in abusing children and suppressing Native American culture.

More than 120 years ago, a Native American village in northern Michigan was burned down at the behest of a white land speculator. Now, the descendants of that village want the federal government to know they’re still here.

In 1900, a group of men including a sheriff and a land speculator torched a peaceful Native American settlement, leaving about 25 families homeless. A new book, documents those first people and legal battles that took place around the burn-out.

They sent a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council last week, months before Canada will have its human rights record scrutinized in a routine review.

No tribal governing bodies have taken an official stance on the expansion yet, but some officials have already expressed concern.

Almost 100,000 Native Americans make up twelve federally-recognized tribes in the state. Michigan is among a handful of states that formally recognize the holiday, which is Monday.

Nearly two weeks ago, vandals tore the center apart, throwing food on the floor, destroying medicines and artifacts, and leaving graffiti on the walls.

Damage reaches into the thousands of dollars and cultural artifacts were likely destroyed.

The effort aims to collect the stories of those who survived boarding schools run by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, as recently as the 1980s.