Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan
Regions with significant populations | |
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Odawa, Ojibwe, and other Potawatomi tribes) |
The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan is a
History
Ancestors of this mixed band belonged to the
They all spoke
Government
The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians were recognized as a sovereign nation by the United States' federal government in 1988. It has a written constitution and elected democratic government, consisting of several tribal council members.
The current (3/6/23) Tribal Council is as follows:
- Bob Peters, Tribal Chairman (Bradley District)
- Jodie Palmer, Vice Chair (at-large District)
- Jeff Martin, Secretary (Salem District)
- Nicole Overbeck, Treasurer (Bradley District)
- Phyllis Davis, Council Member (at-large District)
- Ben Brenner, Council Member (Salem District)
- Virginia Sprague-Vanderband (Bradley District)
Membership
The tribal council voted on rules for enrollment or membership in the tribe. As of 2009, the tribe's enrollment is open only to babies born to current tribal members.[3]
The tribe says they are "a body of mixed-blood
Reservation
The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Reservation (42°38′03″N 85°39′26″W / 42.63417°N 85.65722°W) is located in Wayland Township, south of the city of Wayland, Michigan. Since being recognized, the tribe was assigned land in trust by the federal government in 2005.[4]
In 2009 under
Congress in 2014 passed Public Law No: 113-179 (09/26/2014), a law to clarify that the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band's land trust assigned to them in 2005 could not be challenged in court under the United States Supreme Court decision of Carcieri v. Salazar.[5][6][7]
Tribal enterprises
The primary tribal enterprise is the Gun Lake Casino. The first phase was built in 2009 on part of the 147 acres in Allegan County, Michigan that the tribe was given in January 2009 as a land base by the federal government.[8] It generated 750 jobs during construction. The tribe estimated that it would attract 60,000 guests annually to area hotels. The tribe did not plan to build and operate a hotel. Further, they estimated the enterprise would bring 600 casino jobs.[8]
The tribe publishes a newspaper, called The Tribal Tribune.
Education
The reservation is served by Wayland Union Schools.
Notable members
- Kelly Church, basket maker, birchbark bite, and Woodlands school painter
- Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish, 18th- and 19th-century Potawatomi chief
- Cherish Parrish, basket maker, birchbark biter
References
- ^ a b c Petition for Federal Acknowledgment of Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan, William L. Church, May 16, 1994.
- ^ "Tribal Council", Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi. (retrieved 18 Dec 2009)
- ^ a b "Member Services." Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi. (retrieved 18 Dec 2009)
- ^ "Overview P.L. 113-179", Congress; accessed 27 November 2016
- ^ "Senate Indian Affairs Committee business meeting and hearing". Indianz.com. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ "CBO - S. 1603". Congressional Budget Office. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ Cox, Ramsey (19 June 2014). "Senate passes land trust bill for Pottawatomi Indians". The Hill. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Ground broken on casino that Station will manage", Las Vegas Sun, Amanda Finnegan, Sept. 18, 2009
- ^ "Language/Culture." Archived 2013-04-15 at archive.today Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi. (retrieved 18 Dec 2009)
External links
- Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi, official website
- Potawatomi language materials provided by the tribe
- Gun Lake Casino website
- Native Americans in Michigan Databases, Mainly Michigan website, includes "Durant Roll of 1908" and "Mt. Pleasant Indian School Register (1893 to 1932)"