Mackinac Bands Meets Mackinac Tribe

Apparently the lines of email communication were down when it came to the announcement of a public meeting between the Mackinac Bands and the Mackinac Tribe. One grape on the vine told me that a meeting would be held on a specific day but further inquiries went unanswered. I did manage to speak to two representatives for the Mackinac Bands though and received an email from a person who regularly sends negative posts about the MB’s and the MT’s quest to be affirmed of federal recognition.

For those that care, the Mackinac Bands of Ottawa and Chippewa Bands have been around since the Horace Durant rolls said so. Anyone who is a member will be hot about that remark since the Bands existed long before the federal government reared their ugly heads. In April of 2008, half the MB board splintered away, upon the advice of an attorney, to become the Mackinac Tribe LLC. The shift was originally intended as a name change and not as a fracturing of the group but the lack of an organized effort, along with a little power shifting, resulted in a rift between the two boards. The recent meeting was arranged with two purposes in mind but those purposes were the exact opposite of what each group wanted.

The leaders of the MT expected the leaders of the MB to forget their existence and join their group. The leaders of the MB agreed to work with the MT towards federal recognition but made it clear that it would be a terrible mistake to attempt to rewrite history. A recent letter from the Secretary of Interior sent to the Mackinac Tribe LLC’s attorney indicated that the Mackinac Bands currently has representation and that splintered groups are not being considered for recognition. Previously recognized in decades past, the Mackinac Bands is seeking affirmation of recognition. One critical aspect for federal recognition or affirmation is the continuity of history, a sort of audit trail of existence. If the Mackinac Bands agreed to join with the Mackinac Tribe wouldn’t this be counterproductive to that idea.

Proving the existence of the Mackinac Bands should be as easy as proving the existence of dirt since they are mentioned in numerous documents prior to even having a written language. The adoption of the Mackinac Bands into the Sault Tribe by resolution of the ST’s board vote only and permission of the Secretary of Interior would indicate that the MB was a federally recognized tribe if the motion to adopt was achieved so easily. The question of why the MB members were not given the right to vote on the adoption rather than be given the recognition to operate as a separate tribe is waiting for an answer from the Secretary of Interior. Considering the unfavorable publicity surrounding the Sault Tribe is it any wonder that a group that could separate from the “bad kids” would do so.

At any rate, the Mackinac Bands deserves your community support.