Native Detroiters reclaim sacred land

April 16, 2025

The Detroit City Council has unanimously approved transferring a 0. 58-acre sacred burial mound at Historic Fort Wayne to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) for $1. The mound, dating back to 750 A.D., was once part of the larger Springwells Mound Group consisting of approximately 20 earthworks along a riverside bluff, predating Detroit's founding as a French settlement in 1701.

Who is affected

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) and its tribal members
Other tribal governments consulted in the process (Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, Wyandotte Nation, Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and Wyandot of Anderdon Nation)
Indigenous ancestors whose remains are in the burial mound
Detroit residents and the broader community connected to Historic Fort Wayne

What action is being taken

The Detroit City Council is transferring ownership of the 0.58-acre burial mound site to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi for $1
The burial mound is currently fenced off to restrict access
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is carrying out a process to determine the fate of recently unearthed human remains belonging to "one individual of Native American ancestry" at Fort Wayne
A $100,000 study of capital improvements at Historic Fort Wayne included in last year's budget is moving forward

Why it matters

The burial mound dates back to 750 A.D. and holds significant cultural and spiritual importance for Indigenous peoples
The site predates Detroit's founding as a French settlement in 1701 by nearly a millennium
The transfer acknowledges tribal sovereignty and the Indigenous people's deep connection to land they inhabited before it became Detroit
It attempts to address historical injustices, including the destruction of burial mounds and removal of human remains by archaeologists who described Indigenous people in racist terms
The action represents a government-to-government relationship between the city and the tribe

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com