GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Native American Heritage Fund has announced its annual round of grants to help local schools move away from indigenous mascots and promote the history of the Anishinaabe people.
The NAHF will award more than $483,000 across 10 different grants. The three largest are to help school systems change their mascot.
Camden-Frontier Schools in Hillsdale County will receive $105,000 to rebrand from their current mascot — the Redskins to the RedHawks. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools in Wayne County will receive nearly $146,000 to retire the Chiefs mascot and rebrand to the Cobras. Port Huron Area School District will receive $86,000.
Paleoindians and beyond: West Michigan’s history goes back millennia The term “redskin” is considered a slur by many Indigenous groups and many schools and professional sports teams have faced increased scrutiny in recent years for continuing to use them.
Camden-Frontier was the last school district in the state to use that mascot. In May 2023 , CF’s Superintendent Chris Adams announced that it would be retired.
“The passion, memory and sentiments of alumni is not to be forgotten nor will artifacts be thrown away. We will be preserving the history of the Camden-Frontier School District. The retirement of the mascot is about looking to the future, not erasing the past,” Adams said in a statement.
In the past , many school leaders have used costs as an excuse to maintain the mascots. A mascot change means new jerseys, athletic equipment and extensive renovations at schools, including signage and even basketball courts.
That’s where the NAHF steps in. The fund was created in 2016 as part of an amendment to a 1988 gaming deal between the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi and the state of Michigan.
Mascots matter: Foundation tackles cultural insensitivity one grant at a time According to Jamie Stuck, the chairman of the NAHF, as part of that gaming deal, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band contributes an estimated $17 million to $19 million to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation each year. The 2016 amendment set aside $500,000 annually to be used specifically to tackle Indigenous cultural issues.
Several West Michigan schools have received money from the NAHF to retire mascots in recent years, including Belding , Paw Paw , Saugatuck , Chippewa Hills , Saranac and Hartford .
Five other school districts and two Michigan colleges will receive grants to expand educational and Indigenous-oriented programs. Grand Valley State University will receive more than $63,000 to support indigenous students at GVSU and expand awareness of Anishinaabe culture across campus. Albion College will receive $35,000 for an Anishinaabe exhibit at the Whitehouse Nature Center.
The trauma of Indigenous boarding schools: Can government investigations deliver justice? Many schools and universities still use Indigenous names or imagery, but most have entered local partnerships that are meant to educate and help teach the history of Indigenous tribes.
Central Michigan University, which goes by the Chippewa, entered an agreement with the Saginaw Chippewa tribe in 2003. The university regularly holds cultural events dedicated to Chippewa history and culture and has developed educational initiatives to preserve that history and culture. In describing the partnership, CMU says the university uses the nickname “as a sign of pride, honor and respect for the tribe’s rich heritage.”
A formal ceremony to celebrate the grants will be held Friday at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel ballroom.
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