Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa raises flag on Isle Royale at Rock Harbor
Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa members and elected Tribal Officials gathered alongside Isle Royale and National Park Service staff on June 12 to celebrate raising the Gichi Onigaming flag at Rock Harbor.
The flag raising at Rock Harbor, on the northeastern end of the island, marked the second installment of the Band’s flag as a permanent fixture on Isle Royale. The Band’s flag has flown in Washington Harbor since 2021, where it was first raised within the national park after a formal request from the Band.
On June 12, the flag ceremony began with the Stone Bridge Singers singing an Honor Song and Flag Song.
Then, the Gichi Onigaming flag was raised by Grand Portage Band member and Vietnam veteran, Duane ‘Butch’ Deschampe.
“Flying the official flag of the Band, as a sovereign nation, honors the connection between Isle Royale and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa,” a joint Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Isle Royale National Park Service press release said.
In 2019, Isle Royale was designated as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) of the Band due to its longstanding traditional use and the unique relationship between Grand Portage Band, tribal citizens, and Isle Royale, both past and present.
“It is a daily visual interaction for visitors when they encounter our flag, that for us represents the many interconnections we have to Minong, a physical presence, use of natural resources, spiritual connections to this significant place. In-debendaagozimin Minong – We belong on Minong. This journey across the lake to bring our flag to Minong is a homecoming for Gichi Onigaming Anishinaabeg. It will be long remembered and celebrated among our elders and youth,” said Secretary/Treasurer April McCormick. “In 2011, the Band brought on Isle Royale through a Self-Governance Agreement where we’ve carried funding for many NPS projects extended and executed by the national park to the benefit of the park and visitor experience.”
Isle Royale, also known as Minong (meaning “the Good Place” in Ojibwe), is part of the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe peoples who have cared for these lands since time immemorial, the press release stated. The Isle Royale, National Park staff, will continue to work in collaboration with the Band to ensure their connections are told accurately and sensitively to visitors of Minong.
“The Band’s ties to Isle Royale and Lake Superior are not just historical – they’re ongoing. The raising of this flag in Rock Harbor affirms what has always been evident – the Grand Portage Ojibwe’s position on Minong is perpetual,” said Denice Swanke, Isle Royale National Park Superintendent.
To celebrate the Rock Harbor flag-raising occasion, a feast featuring traditional foods, including blueberry bannock and fresh Lake Superior fish, was provided by the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation and Aramark Destinations/Rock Harbor Lodge.
The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa also recently held a flag raising ceremony at the Cook County Courthouse on May 31.
Listen to the August 17, 2021, flag-raising ceremony at Washington Harbor below.
Kalli Hawkins July 1, 2024
