Drum blessing to showcase tribal, university ties


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Courtesy | Tribal Observer Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe perform a drum blessing during last year's Homecoming football game.

The relationship between Central Michigan University and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe will be showcased through the return of the Tribe’s drum blessing ceremony this football season.

After being celebrated as last year’s homecoming grand marshal, the Tribe is honoring CMU and its football team by returning to the field Oct. 18 for the annual traditions game to perform the blessing a second time.

Frank Cloutier, public relations director for the Tribe, said the blessing is a way to showcase the strong relationship between the Tribe and the school, while applying some of the Tribe’s own cultural beliefs to the culture of the game.

“We found some incredible parallels together through the years,” Cloutier said. “We’re a very proud people and a very competitive people. In our traditions and culture, what’s best for many is best for the Tribe. When you look at the team concept, isn’t that true?”

Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, including the chief and his wife, will take the field prior to kickoff to perform the blessing. Cloutier said the Great Lakes Alliance Drum group will perform the song. 

Associate Athletic Director Nick Williams said the blessing ceremony will fit well within the scope of the football game, which will also celebrate traditions such as the marching band. He said the fact that student athletes wear the Chippewa name on their jerseys necessitates an understanding of the SCIT nation and its culture.

All CMU Athletics staff members and student athletes go through training and programs to help them understand the importance of the Tribe’s name and heritage, Williams said, and the drum blessing is a good way for other students to become more aware of the partnership between the school and the Tribe.

“We have lots of different connections and things that we do with the Tribe, so we thought ‘well, let’s just meld this into our traditions,’” Williams said. “If we’re going to wear the Chippewa name on our jersey, and we’re going to represent Central Michigan, we’re also representing a whole nation of people. Our students need to understand what they’re wearing, what it means and who you are playing for.”

The athletic department and the Tribe coordinate on several things throughout the year, including the Tribe’s summer camp program and tribal youth programs. This cooperative partnership is one aspect that allows CMU to continue sporting the Chippewa mascot where other schools have been forced to change theirs.

“There was a big push to eliminate all Native American mascots from the NCAA." Williams said. "They basically came out with a list and said anyone on that list had x amount of time to address certain things, or they would no longer be allowed to play in the postseason. The Tribe was very supportive. The then public relations director of the Tribe got on the phone with the committee chair at the NCAA. By the time I got back there was a fax on the machine from the NCAA that said ‘you guys are good.’”

This year’s drum blessing may be the beginning of a longstanding tradition. As long as the necessary resources remain available to the Tribe, Cloutier said the ceremony could be an event that is repeated every few years.

“This traditions game is absolutely appropriate because it falls in line with the traditional relationship that we’ve been building over the years with CMU,” Cloutier said. “I think it’s something we would be absolutely happy and honored to do from time to time to mark those high profile engagements.”

Freshman Alexandra Archibald, of Canton, was not around to see last year’s blessing ceremony, but thinks it’s a good way to show that the university is working hard on its relationship with the Tribe.

"It’s good knowledge for us to have," she said. “I feel like what’s good about it is, since our mascot’s a Chippewa, them bringing that into the football game, everyone can get more familiarized with what it really means.”

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