Bay Mills: A Nation of Firsts

First female tribal chair. First tribal casino. First to win the legal battle to uphold reserved treaty fishing rights. There are many firsts in the political history of the people of Gnoozhekaaning, Bay Mills Indian Community.

When we take a moment to look at the political history of our tribe, we feel grateful that the Creator has so often answered our prayers when the stakes were highest. We also know that behind each watershed moment are countless stories of dedication and sacrifice. Stories of elders going door to door to collect scarce coins to get our leaders to Washington. Stories of parents giving away sleep to sit at kitchen tables into the wee hours trying to figure out a way. We always knew there had to be a way.

In Indian Country, stories circle around and back on each other. Each generation keeps them going. Sometimes the story finds its way to us when grandchildren ask about their brave grandpa the fisherman who hid out on an island the night the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. Other times, the stories are perpetuated because each generation must fight the very same battles that their elders championed--for treaty rights, for the survival of our language, for the continuance of our lifeways in the face of so much change.

Because of the hard work of many families, Bay Mills can claim a legacy of leadership to pass on to the next generation. We feel grateful to the ancestors and elders who led Bay Mills to its respected standing in Indian Country today. We hope we are preparing our young people to carry on this important and beautiful work of their people.

In Anishinaabemowin, we often say miigwetch to mean "thank-you." If we look a little deeper into the teaching of that word, we learn that miigwe means "generosity." Each time we say miigwetch, we are acknowledging the generosity of the Creator inthat moment. At Gnoozhekaaning, we feel we have many reasons to use that word.