The new museum will preserve history
HARBOR SPRINGS, MI -- The Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians has a plan to preserve its history.
The new museum will not only provide a place to learn about the past, it's also going to have a state of the art system that will help keep history safe.
There's an old bible, worn in age, but written in native language. There's a tomahawk, a spear, and an arrowhead. These are just a few things that have been in storage with a lot of other things, but soon, will be on display.
"I'm close to retirement age, but I'm going back and forth, I don't know if I want to retire, and like an old hen on an egg, I want to see what happens, when it hatches, so I want to be there," said Yvonne Walkerkeshick, Director, Archives and Records.
Walkerkeshick is the Director of Archives and Records at the Governmental Center for the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. She says retirement has been put on hold for now, as details of a new museum of history for the tribe were announced.
The tribe is moving forward with plans that started rolling more than 10 years ago. A new museum, equipped with a state-of-the-art safety and fire suppression system, will be built near the Government Center.
"They did a study, and they found there is a need, there's a need for storage and a museum is a big part of this to look to display our artifacts and our items," said Tribal Chairman Ken Harrington.
Somebody found a spear near the Straits of Mackinac and donated it to the Archives and Records Department. The estimate is it was made somewhere in the late 1700's. This will be one thing that's displayed at the new museum.
Archives and Records and the Repatriation Department are working with other non-Native American Museums to repatriate items to be a part of the new museum on top of the donated artifacts.
"I believe once it really gets rolling, and the Native Population sees we really are going to have a museum, then they will go into their attics and begin digging out more things that we can put in our museum," said Walkerkeshick.
“It shows the culture of the people," said Harrington.
The new museum will also be safe storage for members of the tribe personal keepsakes.
Right now, site plans are being finalized to be presented to the Tribal Council.
