First Nations Members Visit Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Fifty-seven participants, representing diverse Anishinaabe, additional tribal, and U-M perspectives, visited Matthaei for a day-long series of working meetings on August 29, 2016. The strengthened relationships, years in the making, are allowing us to plan collaborative projects at the intersections of stewardship, sustainability, and survival. As funding allows, look for updates on projects like Heritage Seeds, Anishinaabe-based interpretation of Michigan Native Plants, and more.

See below image for a list of individuals appearing in photo.

Participants at the Anishinaabe, Tribal & UM partners meeting at the
UM Matthaei Botanical Gardens, August 29, 2016

57 participants were present through the day-long meeting. 31 were present for the group photo. Left to right (regardless of row):

Dr. Ben Secunda         UM NAGPRA Office

Dr. Stephanie Rowley, Professor UM School of Education and UM Office of Research

Kevin Finney              Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomie Indians / Intertribal Food Summit (meeting co-chair)

Judy Nowack              Associate Vice President for Research, UM, retired

Andy Sell                    UM SNRE graduate student

Elspeth Geiger            UM LSA graduate student

Dr. David C. Michener, UM Matthaei-Nichols (meeting co-chair)

Anita Heard                Research Center Coordinator, Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways– Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan

Debbie Taylor             UM College of Engineering

Joe Reilly                    Cherokee, American Indian Health & Family Services

George Martin             Head Veteran, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomie Indians

Bob Grese                   Director, UM Matthaei-Nichols, Professor SNRE

Shannon Martin          Executive Director, Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways– Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan

Sydney Martin            NAGPRA Representative, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomie Indians

Dr. James Penner-Hahn, Interim Director, UM Museum of Anthropological Archaeology

Dr. Phil Deloria           Professor, UM-LSA American Culture: Native American Studies; History

Dr. Scott M. Herron    Professor of Biology - Ferris State University, Visiting Professor – UM LSA- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (formerly)

Dr. Sonya Atalay        Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Anishinaabe-Ojibwe)

Kristy Phillips             Citizen Potawatomie Nation

Dr. Kyle White           Professor, Michigan State University, Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Dr. Lisa Young           Lecturer and Research Associate, UM – LSA Anthropology

Mike Kost                   UM Matthaei-Nichols

Brad Kasberg              UM SNRE

Dr. Robin Kimmerer   Professor, SUNY-Syracuse; Citizen Pottawatomie Nation

Steward King              Wasauksing First Nation (Ontario)

Barbara Wall               Trent University Indigenous Studies PhD Candidate (Ontario), Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Carla May Dhillon      UM SNRE graduate student,

Ron Yob,                    Lecturer, Acquinas College, Tribal Chairman - Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians

Dr. Nastassia Vlasova, Central Botanical Gardens – Minsk, Belarus; UM – Matthaei Nichols Visiting Scholar

Catriona Mortell-Windecker, UM Matthaei-Nichols

Dr. Maria Ferria-Pontes, Fulbright Scholar (previously Wayne State University)