Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Neil Blake Mount Pleasant resident Dave Sowmick, left, from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, laughs as Bay Mills Ojibwe freshman Josh Hudson shares a story during the Native American Stereotyping Forum on Thursday night in the Bovee University Center Rotunda. [Click to enlarge]

Josh Hudson said CMU's Chippewa identity does not affect him.

The freshman from the Bay Mills Ojibwe said the term "Chippewa" was one that was invented to describe his people, but it has no basis.

"It doesn't mean anything to me," Hudson said. "It doesn't equate."

The use of the words Chippewa and Chips was just one of the many topics discussed during a Native American Stereotyping Forum on Thursday in the Bovee University Center Rotunda.

Colleen Green, interim director of Native American Programs, said the forum was important to students because they live next door to the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Reservation.

"This is Native students telling renditions of their lives," she said. "It's not a lecture about culture, it's about their lives."

Other topics that came up were per capita disbursements, anthropology, traditional herbs and medicines and the importance of eagle feathers.

Hudson said eagle feathers are an important spiritual part of their culture.

"Eagle feathers represent truth. If you're doing something bad or untrue you're not allowed to touch an eagle feather," he said. "It's a great honor to receive one."

Hudson said it is illegal for any non-Native person to own an eagle feather. Even then, it can take six months to a year to apply for a permit to own one.

Bay Mills sophomore Wes Parish said the term Chippewa is a contrived term from the U.S. government without meaning that causes pain. He said the name Ojibwe is a matter of pride for him.

"It's the name of my people," he said. "Some people don't realize it means a whole nation of people."

Students who attended had mixed reactions.

Wheeler senior Jared Maul said even though the students were not really qualified to answer some of the questions, the forum was a great thing.

"There was a lot of good dialogue coming out of this," he said. "I found learning about the eagle feathers to be really interesting."

Finland freshman Anna Leppanen said she was frustrated the forum focused so much on the words.

"It doesn't help if you just change the word," she said. "Without changing the feelings it doesn't matter what the words are."


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