The Native American Festival is held to bring the great traditions of the first Michiganders to light. This year’s festival, organized the Metro Parent magazine, featured various forms of dance and storytelling and the sale of authentic Native American goods.

Lisa Grace, events director of Metro Parent magazine, has been a part of the festival for the last four years.

“I like this event because it is a perfect way to celebrate the season,” she said.

Not only is Thanksgiving right around the corner, but November is Native American month.

The festival, in its 18th year, offered insight into many different aspects of Native American life. Yvette Pitawanakwat, Visitor Services Coordinator, was a representative of the Ziibiwing Center during the festival.

She said the aim is to clear up any misconceptions about Native American culture people might have.

“People usually associate us with what they see on TV,” Pitawanakwat said. “Many people don’t realize that our culture has evolved, and we are a modern day people just like everyone else.”

The Ziibiwing Center displays exhibits for visitors, which preserve the cultures of Great Lakes Native Americans for anyone  who wants to learn more.

There are three major tribal groups in Michigan today: the Chippewa, the Ottawa and the Potawatomi. These tribes comprise the Three Fires Council.

The Ottawa people resided on the northern bounds of the Great Lakes. They were great traders and craftsmen as their birch bark canoes show.

The Potawatomi used to inhabit the southwest corner of Michigan, near Kalamazoo. As they developed horticultural skills, their medicinal herbal gardens flourished.

The Chippewa are the second largest tribal group in the United States. In Michigan, they resided on the east side of the state as well as on most the Upper Peninsula.

Many Boy and Girl Scout troops attend the festival every year to get a better idea of Native Americans through culture, history, dancing and hands-on experiences.

“A lot of kids are studying native Americans in school right now,” Grace said. “It (the festival) is a great way for them to experience the culture first hand.”

The most important thing is to bring history and culture to life, said Grace.

Tracey Jefferson and her son Joshua are with Boy Scout Pack 106 of Cornerstone Schools Nevada Campus.

The two made choker necklaces of beads and string. Tracey said the necklaces were designed to protect any warrior from being hit with an arrow in the throat.

“I’m having fun,” she said. “I can’t wait to get out there and dance.”

Bill Memberto, coordinator of the dance program and part of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, said dancing was and is still used for “spiritual healing.”

The lady jingle dress dance was one of the dances performed. Each dancer wears a dress with sewn on bells that symbolize prayers. The dance focuses around healing as each jingle of a bell emphasizes prayers against sickness and weakness.

Another dance, the men’s traditional dance, combines 20th century costumes with ancient storytelling. Marty Wabindato, traditional dancer, said when dancing, balance is the key.

As he dances, he holds a dance stick, in his right hand, decorated with a claw from a red-tailed hawk. Wabindato holds a shield and a fan made of feathers in his left hand to maintain balance when he is dancing.

Wabindato is also a champion dancer of 19 years. Pitawanakwat said the dance has evolved into a sport with some dancers making a living from the various competitions held. Being a champion dancer means you are one of the best, she said.

The event also featured a look into trading. Tony Gerard, a demonstrator of Indian trade during the 18th century, said a big part of the Indian trade was in skins and furs.

“The two biggest ones in this area were beaver skins and tan buck skins,” Gerard said.

At the time, items were prices according to buck skins, he said.

“Knives would be five buck skins, or five bucks,” Gerard said. “That is where the term ‘buck’ originated in reference to a dollar.”

For more information about Native Americans in Michigan, visit the Ziibiwing Center’s website at www.sagchip.org/ziibiwing

— Jen Bucciarelli contributed to this report.