City of Saginaw, Michigan

October 2, 2023 SAGINAW, MI – The City of Saginaw would like to announce a special celebration on Ojibway Island on October 9 at 10:30 a.m. in conjunction with National Indigenous Peoples Day. The City is partnering with the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum to host a special unveiling of the new Native American Land Acknowledgement Marker on October 9 at 10:30 a.m. at the north end of Ojibway. This is a free event and open to the public. Click here to view the invitation.

The celebration will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Ojibway Island. Along with the land acknowledgment, the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways will be doing a Pow Wow song and dance presentation. At 12:00 p.m., immediately following the unveiling ceremony, all guests are invited back to the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum located on the campus of SVSU for a reception that will highlight the museum’s newest exhibition: “Vitality and Continuity: Art in the Experiences of Anishinaabe, Inuit, and Pueblo Women”. Guests can enjoy the exhibition while tasting fry bread and other Native American inspired fare.

Saginaw City Council accepted the donation of the land acknowledgement marker from Saginaw Valley State University, in collaboration with the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, on June 5, 2023. The purpose of the marker is to honor the Native American inhabitants who first populated this region. The marker will specifically acknowledge the Anishinaabe’s Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, whose land the City of Saginaw resides on.

The marker will be placed at the north end of Ojibway Island and maintained by the City of Saginaw. Mayor Brenda F. Moore commented on the placement of the marker at Ojibway Island, “We are pleased to accept this donation and partner with SVSU and the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum to place this marker on Ojibway. The ultimate goal of this project is to educate park visitors of all ages and honor the Native American inhabitants who first populated this region. The marker is a beautiful piece of art that provides a fascinating history of the Anishinaabe’s Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and its culture. I encourage our residents to join us on Ojibway on October 9 for this exciting celebration.”

Megan McAdow, Executive Director of the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, commented on the special celebration at Ojibway in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples Day, “We are working with wonderful team of community partners to plan such an amazing collection of Cultural Programming for the public to experience this Fall. I am proud to see how far the Indigenous People’s Day Celebration has come. I love seeing this event grow – not only in collaboration with the City of Saginaw, but with interest from the community partners.”

To view the ceremony invitation, click here. For more information on the Unveiling Ceremony on Ojibway Island on October 9 at 10:30 a.m., please contact the City Manager’s Office at (989) 759-1401

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is located on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, University Center, MI. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (989) 964-7125 or visit the Museum’s website at www.marshallfredericks.org. For a full schedule of events and further details on the museum’s October through December programming, please visit us at: https://marshallfredericks.org/calendar/.

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