GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As Ron Yob approaches the Grand River at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, you can't help but marvel at how in tune he is with the land. Overhead, he spots an osprey that has just caught a fish. He remarks that the babbling Grand River has been talking long before any of us.
"And it's still talking today," he says. "It's a place of healing. Very soothing."
Perhaps it should be no surprise that Yob feels so at home on the banks of the Grand. After all, his Ottawa ancestors have been here for centuries.
"Gosh, this is our home. This is our sustenance. Right now, where we're standing at one time, it was our Garden of Eden. We had everything we needed to live, whether it be food, animals for nutrition, material, shelters, medicine, plants."
The land surrounding the Grand River was Ottawa territory until 1821 when the Treaty of Chicago was signed. It ceded Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Chippewa lands to the U.S. government and paved the way for settlers of European descent to move into Grand Rapids and southwest Michigan.
"The treaty actually established the southern border of our tribe at that time. Before that, we were on both sides of the river," said Yob, who serves as the chair of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians.
The bands will be commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Chicago on Sunday, August 29 at 1 p.m. at Ah-Nab-Awen Park. A new plaque will be unveiled and there will be a "blessing of the water" ceremony in the Grand River. The Grand Rapids Public Museum is taking part in the event as well.
"It's an institution that focuses on history, science, and culture so this is history, and it is culture coming together," said Dale Robertson who serves as president of the museum.
"It's only fitting that we celebrate this treaty between these sovereign nations."
Treaties that ceded native land to the U.S. government can often be a painful topic for indigenous people. But Yob says he believes it's important to commemorate the 200th anniversary of this treaty and the impact that it's still having in our country today.
The Grand River Bands have posted more information about the event on their Facebook page.
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