{"id":12738,"date":"2017-06-20T20:38:30","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T02:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/holyrover\/?p=12738"},"modified":"2017-06-21T09:30:45","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T15:30:45","slug":"the-spiritual-side-of-michigans-mackinac-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/holyrover\/2017\/06\/20\/the-spiritual-side-of-michigans-mackinac-island\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spiritual Side of Michigan’s Mackinac Island"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Michigan\u2019s Mackinac Island<\/a> gained worldwide fame in 1981 with the release of the\u00a0movie Somewhere in Time<\/em> (in which a time-traveling Christopher Reeve falls in love with\u00a0Jane Seymour at the Grand Hotel<\/a>). But the island has\u00a0been a popular tourist\u00a0destination for much longer.\u00a0Visitors flock here to enjoy an idyllic community\u00a0where motorized vehicles are prohibited, horse-drawn carriages clip-clop down scenic\u00a0lanes, and guests are pampered in the Grand Hotel<\/a>\u00a0that overlooks\u00a0Lake Michigan (though time traveling, alas, is not one of its\u00a0amenities).<\/p>\n

But on a recent trip to Mackinac Island, I discovered that this beloved\u00a0island also has a spiritual side\u2014-one with\u00a0a history that\u2019s far older than its most recent incarnation as a tourist destination.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5561\"
Arch Rock is one of the most photographed spots on Michigan\u2019s Mackinac Island. (Bob Sessions photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I learned about this little-known aspect of Mackinac Island\u2019s history on\u00a0the new Native American Cultural History Trail<\/a>, which is a joint project done\u00a0by the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians<\/a> and the staff of Mackinac State Historic Parks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recently installed on the eight-mile road that runs along the perimeter of the island, the trail includes six\u00a0interpretive stations\u00a0that detail the rich history\u00a0and complex symbolic meanings of the island.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5577\"
Before the arrival of the Europeans, Mackinac Island was a place of great spiritual meaning for the Anishnaabek people.\u00a0(image courtesy of Native American Cultural History Trail)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mackinac Island, which lies between Upper and Lower Michigan, holds significant meaning for the Anishnaabek (who include the Odawa\/Ottawa, Ojibway\/Chippewa, and Potawatomi). The island\u2019s original name, Michilimackinac,\u00a0translates as \u201cGreat Turtle\u201d in the Anishnaabek language\u2014and as you cross on the ferry, you can see that the island does indeed resemble a turtle rising out of the deep\u00a0blue waters of the\u00a0Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.<\/p>\n

On a bike ride around the island\u2014an absolutely delightful route, bordered on one side by crystalline water and the other by wooded hills\u2014Bob and I stopped every few miles to read the interpretive signs.<\/p>\n

We learned that for\u00a0many centuries, this island\u00a0was\u00a0the center of the Anishnaabek world. Ceremonies were held on the island to celebrate the changing seasons and to pay respect to the spirits who\u00a0resided here. These\u00a0powerful beings\u00a0controlled the lakes, and appropriate actions needed to\u00a0be taken to ensure that the fishing remained plentiful and that travelers could cross the waters safely.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5575\"
The Anishnaabek\u00a0people lived for many centuries on Mackinac Island. (image courtesy of Native American Cultural History Trail)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Anishnaabek also used Mackinac Island, along with other islands in the Straits of Mackinac, to bury their dead\u00a0(which meant that their ancestors lived here as well as spirits).\u00a0After a burial, the dead were honored with ceremonies that were described as \u201cfeasts of the dead\u201d by the\u00a0French explorers and Jesuit priests who came to the region in the seventeenth century.<\/p>\n

This practice\u00a0continues to this day among Native communities in northern Michigan in a tradition known as \u201cGhost Suppers.\u201d The description of these suppers reminded me of the Mexican traditions surrounding\u00a0Day of the Dead, when people go to cemeteries to\u00a0honor their loved ones, bringing foods that they enjoyed in life.<\/p>\n

In the past decades, some\u00a0of these bodies have been repatriated to tribal councils, but many still remain on the island.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Native American Cultural History Trail<\/a>\u00a0also describes the tumultuous years following the coming of Europeans to the area. The French and British quickly realized the strategic importance of Mackinac Island, which became both a center for the fur trade and a highly prized military outpost.<\/p>\n

During the War of 1812, the island saw combat when Native warriors fought U.S. troops alongside their British allies. The British captured the island, but returned it to American control at the end of the war.<\/p>\n

The Anishnaabek then faced another challenge: the Indian Removal Act, which was signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830. The act allowed\u00a0the U.S. government to seize Native lands and force their inhabitants to resettle west of the Mississippi\u00a0River. The Anishnaabek disputed\u00a0the act and won the right to stay in Michigan thanks to\u00a0the 1855 Treaty of Detroit.<\/p>\n

While the Anishnaabek\u00a0no longer live on Mackinac Island, today they\u00a0have tribal lands just north of the island near St. Ignace and in Mackinaw City to the south.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5563\"
The Native American Cultural History Trail winds along the perimeter of Mackinac Island in Michigan. (Bob Sessions photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Native American Cultural History Trail<\/a>\u00a0is a much-needed addition to Mackinac Island, a reminder to the thousands of tourists who come here each year that this place has been sacred for many centuries. Standing on the shore, looking out across the water, I had a sense for the deeper meanings of this place. It still feels like a place hallowed by spirits and ancestors.<\/p>\n

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Holy Rover<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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