'Making Mount Pleasant a great place'

Erik Rodriguez, interim public relations director for the Tribe, said one of the most common misconceptions about the Tribe’s partnership with Mount Pleasant is that the cultures are vastly different.  

While it is true that there are idiosyncrasies in jurisdictions and culture, Rodriguez said, they are not as pronounced as most people think. 

“There’s a lot of parallels in the day-to-day life,” Rodriguez said. “I think there’s a misconception of Native American and Indigenous people in the community. We live in houses like people in society today. We drive cars like people today. We work and go to work for organizations in Mount Pleasant and throughout Isabella County in the Great Lakes Bay region. And so it’s not too different from what, you know, we experience. I think it just goes back to that governance portion of it.” 

The lack of understanding regarding the Tribe’s identity doesn’t just exist in non-natives, Rodriguez said. The history of forced assimilation has left many living members confused about their heritage. A lot of the time, he said, Tribal members have the same questions as non-natives when it comes to Native culture. 

He encouraged people to confront their assumptions and ask questions when encountering uncertainty.  

A Painful History

Mount Pleasant is home to a former government-run Indian Industrial Boarding School (MIIBS), where the children of the Tribe were subjected to emotional and physical abuse in the name of assimilation. The children were forcibly taken from their homes, had their hair cut against their will and often were punished for speaking their native tongue. 

As a result, much of the Tribe’s culture and tradition was lost, as its members feared retaliation. The generational trauma induced by the school still impacts Native individuals today. 

According to the Tribe’s website, after the atrocities committed in Indian Boarding Schools across the United States came to light, the MIIBS was closed in 1934. The property was transferred to the state, until it was turned over to the city in 2011.  

The city then offered the Tribe a land conveyance for part of the property, six of its buildings and the Mission Creek Cemetery, which it accepted later that year. 

Years of logistical and developmental planning have enabled the property to be recognized as a historical landmark. 

Rodriguez said that now, the city and the Tribe partner for the annual Honoring, Healing and Remembering Day. The healing ceremony includes a reading of the student roll call, which honors the children who perished at the boarding school. 

“The City of Mount Pleasant understands and wants to educate people about the true history that we have a boarding school that was located here,” Rodriguez said. “To help people better understand that, they actually partner with us to bring education and awareness to what transpired on those grounds. They didn’t have to. They chose to.” 

The importance of spreading awareness, Rodriguez said, is critical to ensuring that the atrocities committed against Native Americans in the past are not repeated. 

Tribal presence bolsters local economy 

The presence of the Tribe as its own sovereign nation impacts Mount Pleasant not just culturally, but also economically. 

The Tribe reached an agreement with the state of Michigan in 1994, allowing them to own and operate the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.  

Aaron Desentz, the city manager of Mount Pleasant, said a recent study showed the casino brings around one million people to the area per year. Tourism at the casino funnels into the surrounding local businesses, which bolsters the city’s economy.  

In addition, he said, the agreement with the state requires that the Tribe distribute 2% of its class III gaming profits from the casino’s slot machines to local governments and school districts. The funds are distributed by a grant program overseen by the Tribal Council, which local institutions can apply for.  

Rodriguez said the Tribe typically sees around 450 requests and is able to grant around $3.5 million twice a year. Since 1994, the Tribe has given over $294 million to local governments and schools.  

“There’s 12 recognized tribes in the state, and we’re one of the few that have the opportunity to say where those dollars go,” Rodriguez said. “Some tribes just write a check to local governments and tell them, ‘here’s 2%. You pick where this goes.’ We wanted to be able to make sure that they’re going for community use to maximize resources.” 

According to Desentz, the city received about $1 million in total grants, marking a very generous year from the Tribe. On average, he said, the city of Mount Pleasant typically receives about $650,000 of the 2% grants.  

“That’s been able to do things such as support our PEAK program, our People Empowering All Kids childcare program,” Desentz said. “That has gone to infrastructure projects; maintaining our wastewater and water systems, storm sewer systems; that has gone towards supporting our public safety agencies. So, all of these funds have a significant impact.” 

Collaboration with CMU 

Since 2002, Central Michigan University and the Tribe have collaborated to unite Tribal culture and values with university initiatives.  

The Tribe allows the university to use the nickname “Chippewas” in exchange for active efforts to promote education about Indigenous culture and history. 

As part of its efforts, the university has integrated Tribal culture into various campus standards, including land acknowledgments, course offerings, reduced costs for Indigenous students and integrating sacred Tribal practices into important ceremonies such as graduation. 

The Tribe has blessed various athletic spaces, gifted its official flag and sacred herbs to the Board of Trustees and brought cultural events like the annual celebrating life Pow wow to campus.  

CMU President, Neil MacKinnon, has prioritized the partnership between the Tribe and the university. He said the Tribe serves as a powerful economic and philanthropic engine for the community.

“The Tribe provides tremendous financial support for local schools and nonprofits, invests in development, partners with civic groups, and actively works to strengthen Mount Pleasant and Isabella County through initiatives like the Community Relations Committee,” MacKinnon said. 

“CMU values our relationship with the Tribe and appreciates its support of our historical, cultural, academic and athletic programs. They are wonderful partners and neighbors.”

Looking toward a better future 

Both Rodriguez and Desentz said the relationship between the two governments is more than healthy, but the partnership does not come without its struggles. 

With the current challenges in accessing resources and funding from the state and federal government, Rodriguez said, a lot remains uncertain. In the future, the Tribe and the city will have to face difficult decisions as they attempt to do more with less. 

“There’s a lot of great initiatives that continually come through the channels and the partnerships that we have, but it’s going to come to a point where there’s going to have to be some tough conversations that need to be had,” Rodriguez said. “I think as a barrier, it’s going to be prioritizing what’s important to everyone here, not just one group.” 

While both groups recognize the challenges ahead, there is a resilient confidence that exists in the strength of the partnership and its aptitude for effective communication.  

“As is inevitable with any organization, at times you may have different viewpoints and different stances on a particular issue,” Desentz said. “You just continue to work through those things. Luckily, to be very truthful, even in my short tenure of four years, when we’ve had, let’s say, disagreements, typically it’s not something that we’re not able to work through. There’s a great level of mutual understanding.” 

Working in tandem with the Tribe helps to alleviate pressures that exist as a result of government uncertainties, Rodriguez said, because the Tribe has access to resources that can ease some of the communities’ burdens. 

“We want to continue to partner and strengthen, collaborate to make this a destination for people to want to come to and then ultimately want to live and raise families in,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s just continuing to strengthen the local governance of the shared leadership and really rely on each other to make sure that we’re making Mount Pleasant a great place.”