The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwe (2020)

WIIKWEDONG

DAZHI-OJIBWE

The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwe

Ode’mini Giizis – Strawberry Moon - June 2020

KBIC NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

PROMOTING HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Issue 191

Tribal Council Members:

Warren C. Swartz, Jr., President

Gary F. Loonsfoot, Jr., Vice-President

(Center) Karena Schmidt, NRD ecologist, is assisted

by Alana Schofield who is working on her seedlings

and Zack Sanagret, Summer College Intern for NRD.

Alana Schofield loves hunting, fishing, and gathering.

This is her first year getting a plot at the community

garden.

Once again, the KBIC

Natural Resources Depart- Kim Klopstein, Secretary

ment (NRD) is sponsoring a Toni J. Minton, Asst. Secretary

vibrant community garden Doreen G. Blaker, Treasurer

located at 16037 Brewery Robert R.D. Curtis, Jr.

Road in L’Anse. The location now has quite a land- Eddy Edwards

mark – a beautiful green Dale Goodreau

pole barn built by Lyndon Randall R. Haataja

Ekdahl, who mentored Susan J. LaFernier

KBIC youth and plant techs Rodney Loonsfoot

in the construction of the

Don Messer, Jr.

barn last fall.

There is so much excitSPECIAL POINTS

ing stuff happening at the

OF INTEREST

garden this year, and there

are still a few garden plots

 KBIC-NRD Promoting

Healthy Lifestyles

available to community

members who would be in KBIC-NRD Offers Gifts from

the Plant Nation

terested in tending to a garden plot. The garden was

 Updates from Ojibwa Casiinitiated about ten years

nos General Manager

ago by the NRD to support

 Welcome to the Picnic, Let’s

community members in

Celebrate with Food

their effort to have access

 Great Lakes are Higher than

to healthy foods. What betThey’ve Ever Been and

We’re Not Sure What Will

ter way than to grow your

Happen Next

own veggies organically

 Criminal Report

and have the expertise and

sharing of stories among

 Deepest Sympathy

other gardeners? It is such

fun and inspiring to learn from one another. Effectively advocating for food sovereignty and providing the means to do

so has been an ongoing commitment of the NRD.

If you are interested in renting a plot at the garden, the

fee is $15. For this fee, you will receive an 11’ x 30’ tilled

plot, an assortment of vegetable seedlings and seeds, access to water, and the companionship of other gardeners.

Each plot received a wheelbarrow-full of horse manure this

year, thanks to Dione Price, Environmental Specialist for the

NRD.

This spring in the NRD greenhouse, staff have been busy

growing many wonderful plants for the garden, including 24

varieties of tomatoes – all of them adapted to a cooler climate so they will ripen before frost – several different pepper

plants (hot and sweet varieties), cilantro, basil, cauliflower,

cabbages, potatoes, onions, and more. There may be a surplus of plants after gardeners have made their selections –

please be in touch with Karena (906) 337-2079 the second

week of June to learn what plants may be available for you

to take to your home garden. We intentionally grew a surplus this year knowing community members may want to

start gardening at their home place.

Funding to support garden activities comes through several grants that have been awarded to the NRD. SignifiContinues page two.

(1) Bezhig

KBIC-NRD

continued:

promotes

healthy

lifestyles

Karena Schmidt, NRD ecologist, displays the healthy sage

plants.

cantly, NRD received funding for a second year from

the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. A new program is being implemented this year called “Garden

for Heart”. This program will help to care for the

acres planted with fruit trees just north of the garden

plots. Garden for Heart will be a collective of local

volunteers dedicated to care for the needs at the

Debweyendon (believe in it) Indigenous Gardens –

the DIGs. Garden for Heart days, the first and third

Saturday of every month, will encourage outdoor exercise, preparation and consumption of healthy fruits

and vegetables and acknowledge the vital role community service plays toward healing and good health.

Turning to indigenous knowledge for guidance in

tending to the garden is at the essence of the program. Participants will sign a volunteer agreement in

exchange for good quality garden tools and receive

food harvests from the garden. We hope this will encourage continuance of gardening at your home

place, support outdoor physical activity, and further

encourage volunteer work in the community.

Staff from the KBIC-NRD Plants Program will

oversee activities at the garden and use these opportunities for teachings on the care of fruit trees,

vegetables, and medicinal plants. Through hands-on

participation, volunteers will receive cultural teachings, learn about improving soil fertility, composting,

companion planting, improving habitat for beneficial

insects, recognizing nutrient deficiencies, and diagnosing plant pathogens. As volunteers weed, plant,

prepare fields, and water the gardens, connections

will be made to the necessary reciprocity that exists

between the gardeners, earth, and plants. Advocating for healthy lifestyles through outdoor activity and

learning more of the benefits of including fresh produce in the diet is in keeping with our goals of food

sovereignty for the community.

Please be welcome to attend a Garden for Heart

volunteer day. Once you attend an orientation session on either the 1st or 3rd Saturday of the month

(May through September) you will be made aware of

(2) Niizh

the needs at the garden, and from then on you can

volunteer at the north gardens at a time most convenient to you. A list of work projects will be posted

on the garden tool shed and updated weekly. Needs

at the garden are tending to the fruit trees, ThreeSisters garden, strawberry beds, asemma plots, and

pumpkin patch. We have delicious varieties of corn,

beans, and squash this year that will be planted next

week.

There is a nation-wide program, known as Plant a

Row that encourages a little something that we have

been doing all along, but now it has a name! This

wonderful idea encourages us to plant a little extra in

our gardens with the intent of sharing the harvest

with someone in your community who physically may

not be able to garden and would benefit in innumerable ways from baskets of fresh produce. Harvests

of a variety of produce made available to families,

seniors, and for community events strengthen the

garden’s purpose. Key to the success of our gardens is to produce high quality, nutrient-dense food

while gardening in ecological balance with the biological and ancestral forces that are at play.

In the past few months, people have become

keenly aware of the importance of seed saving. When harvest time comes, we encourage setting aside a ripe vegetable or two and saving the

seeds within for next year to share with the gardening community. We are glad to provide more information on how to do this – just ask!

Kathleen Smith, an enrolled member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, is the Habitat Specialist at the KBIC-NRD and Karena Schmidt is the

NRD ecologist. These two woman work together to

care for and coordinate events at the community garden

Please contact Karena Schmidt at (906) 3372079 or Kathleen Smith at (906) 524-5757 ext. 4229

for more information about how you can participate

at the community garden.

~ Submitted by Serene Gauthier, Environmental

Response Program Specialist (article/pictures)

KBIC Natural Resources Department Offers

Gifts from the Plant Nation

As our community members have hunkered down

at home for the past several months to keep out of

harm’s way from the corona virus, staff at the KBIC

Natural Resources Department have taken the opportunity to reach out to the community with the gift

of plants. Back in February, Karena Schmidt, Ecologist for the NRD, had a little seed planted in her

heart – how about if we made use of our greenhouse to grow plants and offer them to the community? Several ideas came into focus.

First the idea of distributing microgreen kits. Microgreens, usually from the seeds of cabbages and

mild kales, are a super healthy and nutritious food.

An enthusiastic approval came from Evelyn Ravindran, NRD Director, and President Swartz. Word

went out through the NRD Facebook page and by

word-of-mouth about the microgreens. At first, the

response was slow, as “microgreens” were somewhat unfamiliar, but in about 6-weeks’ time over 150

microgreen kits were given away. The kits included

a plant propagation tray, a few sheets of newspaper,

a gallon of high quality potting mix, and a small envelop with a generous amount of cabbage seed.

People would come to the greenhouse, facemasks

and all, receive quick demonstrations and instruc-

tions on how to grow the greens. The enthusiasm

was wonderful – the seeds germinated within two

days and by 10 days, the greens were ready to eat.

Assembly of the kits gave families a meaningful and

educational home activity. For those who love to

garden, but were delayed by the cold spring we had,

the microgreen kits satisfied the urge to tend to a

garden by yielding a successful indoor harvest.

Youth learned to care for their little microgreen gardens and families found a fun way to embrace the

importance of taking care of themselves by eating

healthy foods. If anyone reading this article would

like an envelope of microgreen seeds, we still have

several packs of seeds available; however, the

propagation trays and soil have all been given away.

Please call Karena at (906) 337-2079, if you are interested in a pack of microgreen seeds. They can

easily be grown in a cake pan. Several people have

said their children love the microgreens in their

smoothies, and others love them on their tacos and

omelets.

greenhouse to get sage for themselves, relatives,

and friends. The gratitude expressed was immense.

Clearly much more popular than microgreens. Sage

plants are fabulous plants in our gardens. Their silvery green leaves are beautiful. They like to grow in

sunshine, or at least receive the western sun. They

will need a little care the first year – that is, keep

them watered. In September, the stems/leaves can

be harvested to make sage bundles. Clip them,

leaving an inch stubble in the ground. Then next

spring three to four new plants should sprout up

from the roots. At the time this article was written,

there were still 30 6-packs remaining. Please give a

call to the NRD if you would like to plant some

Mashkodewashk in your garden.

Plants have

so much to

give us – delicious

foods;

look

outside,

already the first

strawberries

are blooming.

Plants give us

medicines,

shelter, and fill

our lives with

beauty. Staff at

the NRD are

ever

inspired

by the Plant

Nation and all

they do to enrich our lives.

~ Submitted by Serene Gauthier,

Environmental Response Program Specialist (article/pictures)

EXTENSION OF LICENSES

AND REGISTRATIONS

Alana Schofield enjoying her smoothie with microgreens

White sage, Mashkodewashk, is one the great

plants honored in our community. The NRD has a

dynamic restoration program, and white sage is one

of the keystone plants used for effective restoration

work. White sage is also the plant we can harvest in

the late summer to make bundles for smudging.

Sage is a scared medicine that when burned, it

helps clear the mind, soul, and air. Sage is a perennial plant, so you can enjoy harvests every year.

The seeds of white sage are tiny – there are

4,048,000 seeds per pound! Well, sage really

wanted to grow in the greenhouse this spring. After

carefully potting over 500 plants for restoration work,

there was still an abundance of young seedlings in

our propagation trays. These young plants were

potted into nursery-style 6-packs and allowed to

grow for a few weeks. Amazingly, 30 flats were

filled, each with six 6-packs of sage – adding up to

1080 plants! Again, word went out to the community, and in the first two days, 120 6-packs were

gifted to community members who came to the

April 14, 2020 — Many of you have expressed

concern regarding your soon to expire Hunting/

Fishing/Trapping Licenses, as well as your expired

motor vehicle registrations. Earlier today, I attended

a Tribal Council meeting and expressed your concerns to them.

The Council approved a motion today that Tribal

Members will have 30-days from the date that the

Government is reopened to renew Hunting/Fishing/

Trapping Licenses. In the meantime, members are

to carry their expired licenses, and if they do not

have one, their Tribal Membership card, while exercising their treaty rights.

This extension also includes motor vehicle registrations that expire during the time of the Governmental closure, as well as the new registrations of

newly purchased vehicles. Please be sure to have

your expired registrations in your vehicle. Newly

purchased vehicles must have their purchase paperwork. This extension does not include expiration of

insurance. All vehicles still must have valid insurance.

If there are any questions, please contact Sarah

Smith, Chief Executive Officer.

Jennifer Misegan

Enrollment/Licensing Director

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

(3) Niswi

KEWEENAW BAY INDIAN

COMMUNITY

OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT

SERVICES

The Keweenaw Bay

Indian Community Office

of Child Support Services

continues to provide

services during the indefinite closure of the

government offices of the

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

If you need to file for child support services or need to speak with our staff regarding your child support case – please

call (906) 353-4569 and leave a detailed

message that includes: your name, phone

number or other contact information, and

the specific issue you are calling

about. Messages will be answered, in the

order they are received, by the end of the

next business day.

Child support payments can be made

by check or money order and mailed to:

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Office of Child Support Services

PO Box 490

Baraga MI 49908

MICHIGAN INDIAN ELDERS ASSOCIATION

2020 SCHOLARSHIP NOTICE

The Michigan Indian Elders Association (MIEA) is

pleased to announce that it will make available three

$1000 scholarships and six $500 scholarships. The

scholarships will be awarded to at least nine qualified students with the $1000 scholarships being

awarded to top three qualified students, as determined by committee review and lottery, if necessary.

Each student must be currently enrolled in a course

of study at, or have a letter of acceptance from, a

public college or university or technical school and

must meet the following qualifications.

QUALIFICATIONS – the student:

 Must be an enrolled member (copy of tribal card)

or be a direct descendant of an enrolled member

of one of the MIEA constituent Tribes/Bands

(must be verified in writing by your Tribal Enrollment Department).

 Must have successfully completed and passed all

five General Education Development (G.E.D.)

equivalency tests with a minimum score of 40, an

average score of 45, and must possess a G.E.D.

certificate; or must have graduated from an accredited high school with a 3.00 grade point average; or if currently enrolled at a college, university, or trade school, must have an accumulated

grade point average of 3.00.

 Must, except for special and extenuating circumstances, attend college, university, or trade

school on a full-time basis.

 Must complete the provided application form and

submit it with required supporting documentation

and the mailing must be RECEIVED BY THE

(4) Niiwin

Money orders may be obtained at a

bank, credit union, United States Post Office, and some retail and groceries

stores. We look forward to serving you

and are here to meet all of your child support needs!

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Is your charitable organization planning on

holding a raffle or selling raffle tickets on the

L’Anse Indian Reservation?

Federal law, through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, granted Tribes exclusive right to regulate

gaming activity on Indian lands. Even if you or the

members of your organization are not tribal members, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Gaming Commission has the authority to regulate your

raffle. It is unlawful to game without a license.

Please contact the KBIC Gaming Commission

Office at (906) 353-4222 or stop by the office located at the Tribal Center for an application and a

copy of the rules and regulations.

Application deadline for submission of ALL Class I Drawings

is 30 days and Class II Raffles is

60 days prior to your event. LiBear Town, Rd.

cense Fee will be waived when 16429

Baraga, MI 49908

(906) 353-4222

the application is received within

this timeline.

COORDINATOR postmarked no later than June

15, 2020. (PLEASE NOTE, incomplete or late applications will not be considered).

An application form is available at https://

www.michiganindianelders.org/students.php or can

be obtained from the Tribal Education Department of

each of the constituent Tribes/Bands.

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Court

— Continuity of Operations Plan

April 9, 2020, and Updated

April 13, 2020, From the Office of

the Chief Judge — While keeping

the Court available to the fullest

extent, all proceedings must be

consistent with public safety as

well as any further directives from

the Court, as well as, federal and

tribal public health advisories.

The Court shall employ a balanced and objective approach that

considers both the uninterrupted

administration of justice and the

health and well being of the judicial branch of the Keweenaw Bay

Indian Community and its Court

patrons.

To allow access to the Court,

that is consistent with the wellbeing of the community and Court

staff, the Court shall take the following actions:

 All persons in custody or who

shall have the potential to be

placed into custody shall have

immediate access to the Court

as described by law.

 All persons who shall have had

a juvenile petition alleged

against them shall have access

to the Court as described by

law.

 All criminal and civil jury trials

scheduled to begin within the

next thirty (30) days shall be

postponed until further notice of

the Court.

 All currently scheduled criminal

and civil proceedings, including

juvenile proceedings, shall utilize telephone, polycom, and

video services as much as administratively feasible.

 Attorneys representing the various Tribal departments and individual clients shall file the appropriate motions with the

Court to attend their required

hearings via telephone or polycom services, or reschedule

due to illness.

 The Court Clerks shall coordinate all duties related to filing,

scheduling, and payment with

clients and other agencies via

telephone, e-mail, and fax as

much as administratively feasible.

 The Probation Office shall coordinate all duties related to probationers, persons on bond,

and other agencies via telephone, e-mail, and fax as much

as administratively feasible.

Required reporting with Probationers shall be done though

the Sentry system and via tele-

phone as much as administratively feasible.

 The Office of Child Support

Services shall coordinate all duties related to child support enforcement, paternity establishment, and outreach with clients

and other agencies via telephone, e-mail, and fax as much

as administratively feasible.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON

INDIAN RESERVATIONS (FDPIR)

FY 2018 NET MONTHLY INCOME STANDARDS*

(Effective Oct. 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2020)

*The net monthly income standard for each household size

is the sum of the applicable Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) net monthly income standard and

the applicable SNAP standard deduction.

48 Contiguous United

States:

Household

Size

Effective: April 13, 2020

Access to Court Building:

Access to the Court Building

shall be prohibited by the general

public.

Only those designated

Court personnel shall have physical access to the Court.

The Court shall be staffed with

the Court Clerk during the hours of

10:00 AM thru 3:00 PM. Court

staff shall then perform their other

essential duties from their residence.

The Judges, Child Support,

and Probation shall be available to

the Court.

Access to Court Records/

Paperwork:

Access to Court records shall

be available by contacting the

Court during the designated hours

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Court Clerk shall prepare the

requests for Court records/

paperwork for delivery through the

U.S. Mail or personal pick-up

which has been pre-arranged.

Court records shall include access to the following records

which have been authorized.

 Court records/forms, probation

records, child support records.

Please contact the Court

staff at (906) 353-8124 (phone)

or (906) 353-7279 (fax).

Please contact the Court with

any questions and/or concerns:

 William W. Jondreau, Sr., Chief

J u d g e , w j o n d r e a u@ k bi c nsn.gov. (906) 353-4562

 Violet Friisvall Ayres, Associate

Judge, violet@kbic-nsn.gov,

(906) 353-4563

 Lauri Denomie, Chief Court

Clerk, courtclerk@kbic-nsn.gov,

(906) 353-4561

 Diana Chaudier, OCSS Director, diana@kbic-nsn.gov, (906)

353-4569

 Meghan Maki, Probation Officer, meghan@kbic-nsn.gov,

(906) 353-4564

NOTE: Lauri Denomie shall

schedule any necessary hearings for the Court.

Use this

amount

SNAP Net

Monthly

Income

Standard

SNAP

Standard Deduction

1

$1,005

+

$160

=

$1,165

2

$1,354

+

$160

=

$1,514

3

$1,702

+

$160

=

$1,862

4

$2,050

+

$170

=

$2,220

5

$2,399

+

$199

=

$2,598

6

$2,747

+

$228

=

$2,975

7

$3,095

+

$228

=

$3,323

$3,444

+

$228

=

8

FDPIR Net

Monthly Income Standard

$3,672

Each additional member

+ $349

Alaska:

Use this

amount

Household

Size

SNAP Net

Monthly

Income

Standard

SNAP

Standard Deduction

FDPIR Net

Monthly Income Standard

1

$1,255

+

$273

=

$1,528

2

$1,691

+

$273

=

$1,964

3

$2,127

+

$273

=

$2,400

4

$2,563

+

$273

=

$2,836

5

$2,999

+

$273

=

$3,272

6

$3,435

+

$285

=

$3,720

7

$3,870

+

$285

=

$4,155

8

$4,306

+

$285

=

$4,591

Each additional member

+ $436

June 2020 Calendar:

June 1, 2020 through ? —

Ojibwa Casino Baraga and

Ojibwa Casino Marquette —

closed due to COVID-19 Pandemic;

 June 1, 2020 through ? —

Tribal Government offices limited — due to COVID-19 Pandemic;

 June 21, 2020 — Happy Father’s Day.



~ submitted by newsletter editor

To place an ad, submit an

article, or relate information,

ideas, or possible articles

contact:

Lauri Denomie at

(906) 201-0263, or e-mail:

newsletter@kbic-nsn.gov.

To be added to the mailing list or to correct your

mailing address, contact

the enrollment office at

(906) 353-6623, ext. 4113.

— NOTICE —

Individuals may call Tribal Police

(906) 353-6626 if they have an emergency or 911.

Updates to operations can be obtained by calling (906) 353-4523.

(5) Naanan

Update from the Ojibwa Casinos’ General Manager

The Ojibwa Casinos remain closed at this time

due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, reopening plans have been developed and will be ready to

implement once the green light is provided by Tribal

Council and the Tribe’s Gaming Commission. We

are looking forward to getting the doors open as

soon as it is deemed safe for employees and guests

to return. When it is deemed we are at that point,

the environment our employees and guests will return to will be much different than it has ever been.

On May 20, Tribal Council approved Step 1 of

our comprehensive reopening plan. This step includes recalling management and key staff from

temporary leave on June 1, to assist in finalizing the

components included in Step 2 which incorporates a

comprehensive Health and Sanitation Program.

Step 2 includes reopening certain areas of the

casinos to the public and recalling adequate staff

from temporary lay-off to safely operate slots, rewards (guest services), cage, casinos’ bars, Pressbox (Baraga), Superior Eats (Marquette), and the

Gift Shop (Marquette). The table games, event center (Marquette,) and hotel (Baraga), including the

pool and conference rooms, will remain closed until

Step 3 of the plan is implemented. No formal dates

have been set for reopening and Tribal Council continues to meet weekly to receive updates from their

resources who are monitoring the situation on a

daily basis.

Prior to reopening the casinos, staff will participate in training to ensure they understand their new

roles and responsibilities in executing the comprehensive Health and Sanitization program. The program being implemented, ensures the Ojibwa Casinos is doing everything possible to make not only

our employees feel safe coming to work, but also

our valued guests returning to our casinos. We will

be publishing our comprehensive plan on our website at ojibwacasino.com once our recalled management team has the opportunity to provide their input,

and we are certain we have everything we need to

execute it.

We are also continuing work on the Tribe’s partnership to begin offering internet gaming and sports

betting. The formal agreement is in its final stages

of review and will likely be approved by Tribal Council in the near future. The State of Michigan’s regulations are not final and are taking much longer than

anticipated. Our plan is to have the required application package ready to submit as soon as the window to submit is open. This is an exciting opportunity for our Tribe and will provide a new and much

needed stream of revenue amid the unexpected

consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Tribe’s convenience stores (the Pines Convenience, Ojibwa BP and Rez Stop) are open but

with limited hours of operation. The KBIC Solid

Waste Facility is also open and is maintaining their

usual hours of operation and route pickups. Eagle

Radio is open for business, but the offices are not

open to the public, so please call the station for any

advertising needs you may have. We are very

thankful that we have dedicated staff who are prac(6) Ningodwaaswi

New non-motorized trail is open to enjoy.

ticing safety protocols while continuing to provide essential services to guests.

I also wanted to provide an update on the Ojibwa

Campground and Marina. Unfortunately, we are unable to open our campgrounds for the 2020 season

at this time. We again want to ensure that when the

campgrounds do open, they provide a safe environment for everyone to enjoy. Options to meet a safe

and financially responsible opening are being considered. The campgrounds are open for day use, so

please be sure to enjoy the beauty they offer while

practicing social distancing and keeping gatherings to

10 or less. The new non-motorized trail that goes

from the Sandpoint Lighthouse to the Ojibwa BP

along US-41 is also open.

The docks at Buck’s Marina are in, and registrations for renting a boat slip are available at the Pines

Convenience Center.

Things are a little different

this year from years past

though. Initial registrations are being accepted

through June 5 and KBIC

Members will be afforded

the first opportunity to obtain a boat slip for the

season. Once the initial

period closes and if boat

slips remain, they will be

filled on a first-come firstserved basis.

Through persistence

and perseverance, we will

get through these unprecedented

times.

Please stay safe, be well,

and we look forward to

serving our valued guests

very soon!

Welcome to the Picnic, Let’s Celebrate with Food (but please keep your distance….)

~ By Dr. Dale Schmeisser

The weather is improving, the stay-at-home guidelines are

relaxing, and it’s time to get outside and take in a deep breath

of our clean U.P. air. Fire up the grill, or just make a sandwich. Take the meal outside and enjoy some fresh air and

sunshine.

Good news on the COVID-19 front—risk of transmission is

lower when we’re outdoors. As long as we maintain social

distancing with the people who don’t share our household, the

risk of transmission outdoors is fairly low. In one survey, over

90% of transmissions occurred in indoor spaces when people

were in close quarters for extended periods of time (office,

factory, etc). Only one to three percent of cases of transmission occurred among folks who were outdoors and maintaining reasonable social distancing. It’s time for a picnic, but

people who do not house together should keep up the six-foot

social distance (for example, separate tables for separate

households).

well regarding COVID-9, let’s make sure good food handling

protects the rest of our health.

 Keep cut veggies and fruits, dairy and other high risk

foods cold until ready to be served (below 40° F).

Don’t leave them at room temperature for more than

two hours, only one hour if temperature is above 90°F.

 Keep raw meats, poultry, and fish separate from the

breads, salads, fruits, veggies, etc. to prevent contamination of foods that won’t be cooked.

 Cook ground meats and chicken to 165° F, fresh fish to

145°F (this advice from a recent GLIFWC seminar on

whitefish).

Sunshine and activity are good for mood, immune health

and vitality. We can build on that even more with enjoying

healthy picnic food. Welcome to summer!!

Picture by Calli Sweeney.

Dekkar Denomie enjoying Big Lake, picnicking with his family.

What we eat will brighten the day. Give some thought to

balancing the menu. If burgers and brats are featured, then

consider what other items will round out the menu. Yes, there

will be potato salad and desserts. But be sure to include

some Items that aren’t too rich or too salty. If we don’t do it for

ourselves, then consider that there will be somebody at the

party who is managing diabetes, heart problems, or high blood

pressure. When you add more fruits and veggies, it’s easier

to have a smaller amount of the rich foods and desserts.

These are the easiest healthy additions:

 Cut veggies:

Carrots, celery, radishes, tomatoes

(grape or cherry tomatoes make great finger-food),

green onions, summer squash

 Grapes, melon slices, pineapple slices, any in-hand

fruit (bananas, apples, oranges)

These require a little more work, but are oh, so festive:

 Fresh fruit salad: Cubed melons (honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon), berries, seedless grapes. If adding apples or bananas, soak in a little orange or lemon

juice to halt browning. Fresh pineapple is not a good

idea for this salad, because enzymes in fresh pineapple can make the rest of the salad sort of mushy.

Canned pineapple in juice would work fine.

 Cole slaw

 Veggie salad: Equal parts of coarsely diced (maybe ½

-3/4”) vegetables: cucumber (with or without skin, your

call), green or red pepper, cherry tomatoes, halved.

Toss with plain Greek-style yogurt, about ¼ c per cup

of veggies, or to your taste. Sprinkle with dill weed,

pepper and just a pinch of salt if any. This is surprisingly tasty, very refreshing, satisfying and very low

calorie. Light sour cream could be substituted, but

you’ll miss out on the bright tang of the yogurt. Add

onions or any other vegetable that suits you.

We are all testing the water, so to speak, in discovering

new ways to be together while we still protect the ones we

care about from COVID-19 disease. We need to maintain a

healthy immune system to do that. Everyone has done so

(7) Niizhwaaswi

The Great Lakes are Higher than They’ve Ever Been, and We’re Not Sure What Will Happen Next

Lakeside living comes with a new premium: flooding and lots of uncertainty.

By Molly Glick

leaves states like Michigan with little room to prepare for the

lakes’ next turn.

To understand how much the Great Lakes have seesawed, one needs to go back to 1860, when the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers started taking monthly averages of the

water levels. Based on those measurements, the lakes have

stayed within a modest six-foot range of their typical levels.

But the pattern of spikes demands closer attention.

Since September 2014, the planet’s largest collection of

freshwater has broken and re-broken most of its long-term

records. Last June and July, Lakes Superior, Erie, Ontario,

and “the sixth Great Lake,” St. Clair, all surged above century

-old highs. Meanwhile, Lakes Michigan and Huron hit new

peaks this April, after an unusually wet winter pushed their

levels three feet above the monthly average.

Some of these patterns are inherent to the cycles that

shape the Great Lakes, says Chin Wu, an engineer at the

University of Wisconsin, who’s worked with the Army Corps

of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study the system. The basin’s levels usually increase in spring with heavy precipitation and runoff

from snowmelt. They continue to ramp up through midsummer, as hotter temperatures cause water molecules to

expand somewhat, before dropping off in fall as cold air accelerates evaporation.

“The Great Lakes are very complex,” Wu says. “It’s not

like the simple formula for ocean levels, which keep going

up.”

Ojibwa Campground, flooded from the 06/30/2018 seiche.

Photo courtesy of Steven Denomie.

A single road near Lake Superior connects Michigan’s

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to the rest of the state.

During major rains, rocks and wood litter the route and cut off

travel in and out. Over the summer, drivers have to take a 30

-minute detour; in the winter, the trip can take more than two

hours. Work crews eventually clear the path with plow-like

machines, freeing the tribe’s movement.

Living at Superior’s southern edge, the Keweenaw Bay

Indian Community (KBIC) manages close to 19 miles of its

shoreline. They rely on it for tourism revenue, drinking water,

and fish for the tribal hatchery. A full lake is good news for

KBIC, but if the levels spill over, it could spell danger for the

residents’ subsistence.

This precarious balance shifted toward disaster during the

2018 Father’s Day flood, when more than seven inches of

rain pounded the area in just three hours. In the storm’s aftermath, fecal runoff plagued local beaches, teeing up an explosion of harmful E. coli bacteria. The Michigan Health Department closed several swimming spots on the state’s Upper

Peninsula, but they didn’t offer to test the tribe’s domain.

That led KBIC’s Water Resources Specialist Stephanie Cree

to take matters into her own hands. After all, the health of

Lake Superior is an essential measure when people’s livelihoods depend on it.

“A lot of the community relies on fish for food,” Cree says.

"We have a lot of tribal and commercial fishermen who rely

on fishing for income.”

Cree instituted weekly beach monitoring to check bacteria

levels, soon shutting two of the reservation’s beaches. As far

as she knows, it was the first such closure in Keweenaw

Bay’s modern history. And it likely won’t be the last, given

that the region is becoming more unstable by the day.

Across the 5,241 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, tribes,

cities, vacationers, and wildlife managers are grappling with

devastating flooding and erosion. It’s a different story from

the nation’s coasts, where rising seas are creeping inland at

a steady pace. Instead, the five Great Lakes fluctuate naturally by season—though over the past four decades, they’ve

bounced both above and below historic records. Experts

suspect that climate change is partially driving these shifts,

but because of the complex nature of the water, it’s hard to

isolate human factors from the rest of the turbulence. That

(8) Ishwaaswi

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been taking monthly

averages of the lakes levels for the past many decades to

identify anomalies. (Michigan and Huron are connected and

considered as one unit.) Graph: Sara Chodosh.

The recent string of record highs relates directly to extreme ice cover from 2013, 2014, and 2015, says Greg

Mann, science and operations officer at the NOAA National

Weather Service Forecast Office. Competing atmospheric

processes, like evaporation and precipitation, usually keep

the Great Lakes system in equilibrium, he notes—but when

one of those reactions doesn’t go as planned, the water

builds up too quickly. That’s exactly what happened during

the 2014 polar vortex, when the region froze over and evaporation took a hit. Months later, the ice thawed into the lakes,

just as the heavy spring rains arrived.

The opposite is also true, Mann says: Reduced precipitation and low ice cover can speed up evaporation, causing

levels to bottom out. In fact, before the recent stretch of

professor of urban and regional planning at the University of

Michigan. Meanwhile, some residents are trying to salvage

highs, the Great Lakes experienced its longest sustained petheir lakefront homes by installing rock or steel sea walls to

riod of below-average waters. In spring of 2013, Lakes

guard against rising swells. These can cost property owners

Huron and Michigan reached the nadir of a 15-year plunge,

up to $150,000 depending on the material and property size,

posing a challenge for industries like shipping and hydrosays Beth Foley, a Michigan real estate agent who specialpower.

izes in waterfront homes. In particularly treacherous zones,

Less understood are the freak meteorological events that

people have even picked up their homes and dragged them

feed off already-dangerously high waters. Meteotsunamis

several yards away from the lake.

will randomly materialize in the Great Lakes, lasting anyBesides being impractically pricey, sea walls and other

where between a few minutes and two hours. The stormarmoring measures can counteract themselves by redirecting

driven waves usually top out at a foot, but they can still cause

waves in a way that accelerates erosion. Wu, the University

major damage; in 1954, an abnormally tall meteotsuof Wisconsin engineer, also says they eat into prime coastal

nami pounded Chicago’s shoreline and killed seven people.

habitat by churning up waters that displace sand from the

Looking back on all the dramatic highs and lows of the

shallows. With that in mind, researchers are seeking “soft”

past decade, it seems impossible to project the future of the

solutions that don’t simply cut communities off from the Great

tides. The best bet is to dig into data and predict a wide

Lakes, including “living shorelines” made of natural materials

range of outcomes for each lake. Currently, researchers

such as flora, rocks, and oysters. The idea is far from new:

from NOAA and the Canadian Hydrographic Service are

Indigenous communities around the globe have traditionally

tracking the tiniest changes in water levels with gauge staused vegetation to fight erosion, and cities in Washington,

tions positioned throughout the five Great Lakes (there are 53

North Carolina, New York, and Alabama are already putting

total in the US). The sensor-packed devices allow scientists

the non-rigid buffers to use.

to keep close tabs on the amount of water flowing in and out

For the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, hard and soft

of the basin. That itself is a tall order: Lakes Michigan and

solutions work in tandem. The tribe hired a company to inHuron alone take in an average of 139 Olympic swimming

stall boulders and a loose foundation of stones called rip rap

pools’ worth of runoff and precipitation per minute.

around their gas station on Lake Superior. And for more than

From that data, experts can try to learn if climate change

a decade, the natural resource department has led restorais gaming the Great Lakes system, though they still won’t be

tion efforts like seeding native grasses as a screen around

able to draw any solid correlations. Studies have already

local soils and wetlands. These measures also increase

linked climate change to shifting local precipitation levels.

habitats for birds and butterflies, a win-win for the Superior

The region’s annual rain and snow totals have shot up

ecosystem.

by 13.6 percent since 1951, and as of last October, the Great

Ultimately, the stakes are high for KBIC. The tribe’s most

Lakes experienced its fifth wettest year in a row. The coming

valuable assets are based in and around the lake, both in the

decades could bring even damper winters and springs.

fisheries and the sands that hold centuries-old burial grounds

What’s more, the region is losing swathes of frozen

and historically important plants. When the floodwaters spill

ground, much like the Arctic. Recent NOAA maps show that

onto the roads, they don’t just jeopardize the community’s

the basin’s total ice cover shrunk by 69 percent between

economic well being—they threaten its cultural salience, too.

1973 and 2017—a trend that might link back to warmer water

Moving forward, there’s no telling what the lake waters

temperatures in summer. Less ice means more waves hitting

will do. They could wax and wane as they have over the past

against land, resulting in erosion on Chicago

century, with slight deviations from global warming and rebeaches and coastal hamlets. In January, a cottage in White

gional cold snaps, says Eric Anderson, a physical oceanograRiver Township, Michigan, toppled over a bluff and collapsed

pher at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboin the waves, a tragedy that could signal the new normal for

ratory. But unlike the accelerating trajectory of sea-level rise,

lakefront life.

the Great Lakes levels probably won’t follow a clear path.

All in all, the country’s longest freshwater coastIn the short term, the Army Corps of Engineers is forecastline isn’t what it used to be. Some parts of Michigan’s shoreing a wide range of outcomes for each lake. Overall, they’re

front are eroding at an average of a foot a year, and the state

expecting a similar situation across the lakes for the next six

has spent millions of dollars restoring damage on campmonths, says John Allis, chief of the Detroit District Great

grounds, dunes, and beaches.

Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office. “We’ll either be dealThere’s also a symbolic importance embedded in Michiing with record highs or just below them.”

gan’s coasts. Locals take ownership of and advocate for the

How to deal with those highs is a complex issue of its

Great Lakes’ protection, says Nick Assendelft, public informaown. Take KBIC for example: The Father’s Day Flood protion officer at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great

pelled its natural resources department to organize a plan for

Lakes, and Energy. “It’s in the DNA of Michiganders to have

future emergencies (a mandatory component to vie for feda connection with water.”

eral disaster funding). Cree, their water expert, thinks nearby

Michigan officials are monitoring development in high-risk

tribes may follow suit.

erosion areas, though only 10 percent of the state’s coastline

“This is all something new,” she says. “We haven’t had

currently falls under this protection, says Richard Norton, a

these types of issues before because storms are happening

more frequently.”

In 2018, the tribe began developing

a pre-hazard mitigation plan to tackle

abiding concerns like record water levels, extreme storm events, infrastructure issues, and climate change, says

KBIC Environmental Specialist Dione

Price. They hope to adopt it by this

summer.

And while the Army Corps of Engineers’ models may give communities

a hint of what to expect, the future of

the region can’t be determined by a

curve on a graph. To really understand what’s happening with local water levels, Mann, the NOAA operations

officer, says, people need to gain an

appreciation for the intricacies of the

Great Lakes. Warming and cooling

don’t pull all the strings in the system;

neither do natural cycles likes rain and

evaporation.

“Predicting outcomes

with any certainty is nearly impossible,” Mann says. “I know that isn’t satHuge Lake Superior waves. Location unknown.

isfying, but that is how things work.”

Great Lakes continued:

(9) Zhaangaswi

Lois Loonsfoot Aldred

(April 28, 1945—April 27, 2020)

Lois Loonsfoot Aldred was

74 years old the day she

walked on with the spirits. Following a positive diagnosis of

COVID-19 and a brief illness

while living at Norlite Nursing

Center, Lois joined her husband, Jere David Aldred, on

April 27, 2020. She leaves behind a family who love and miss

her very much.

Lois was born in Baraga,

Michigan, on April 28, 1945,

and was a proud member of the

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

Lois was a devoted mother and grandmother who found

great joy in spending time with her family. She loved fishing

with her husband, picking berries in the summer, meals with

her family, and going on adventures with her children and

grandchildren. Her family will remember her fondly as a

strong passionate woman whose greatest joy was her family.

Her contagious smile, affectionate songs, and beautiful laugh

will live on in our hearts.

Lois was preceded in death by her parents: Marcella and

James Loonsfoot; and siblings: James Loonsfoot, Barbara

Haalapa, Patricia Pillsbury, Lawrence Loonsfoot, and Jean

Aho. She is survived by her brother: Kenneth Loonsfoot of

Marquette; sisters: Agatha (Michael) Cardinal of Assinins,

and Philomena Ekdahl of Baraga; four children: Regina

Richer-Brewer, Sherri Loonsfoot-Aldred, John J. Aldred, and

Tanya Aldred; seven grandchildren: RaShae Pree, Sydney

Pree, Jarin Pree, Skye Richer, Aiyana Aldred, Maya Aldred,

and Chloe Aldred; four great grandchildren: Destinee Pree,

John Nathaniel Jr., Izaiah Nathaniel, and Julius Nathaniel V;

and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

A gathering for friends and family to celebrate Lois's life

will take place at the Keweenaw Bay Community Center in

Baraga at a later date.

Canale-Tonella Funeral Home and Cremation Services is

assisting Lois's family where memories and condolences may

be shared at canalefuneral.com

Philomena Mary Ekdahl

(December 1, 1933—May 6, 2020)

Philomena Mary Ekdahl,

age 86, of Baraga, MI,

peacefully began her journey

on Wednesday, May 6th,

2020, at The Lighthouse in

Hancock, MI, with her family

at her side.

She was born December

1, 1933, in Assinins, MI the

daughter of James and

Marcella (Shalifoe) Loonsfoot. She graduated from

Flandreau Vocational Indian

School in South Dakota in

1954, and went onto earn an

Associate Degree.

Philomena married Paul Ekdahl on November 28, 1956. She

worked as a CHS clerk for KBIC for 20 years, retiring in 1995.

At age 62, she received her cosmetology license and worked

until she was 80.

She was a member of Most Holy Name of Jesus Church,

the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and served as a council member, and also a member of Ojibwa Seniors. She was

an avid bowler for over 40 years, and loved traveling and

bowling tournaments. She also enjoyed spending time with

her family, and her sons were her pride.

Surviving are her children: Gary (Kathleen) Loonsfoot of

Baraga, James (Kathy) Ekdahl of Calumet, Ronald (Bonnie)

Ekdahl of Midland, Everett Ekdahl of Baraga, Lyndon (Shelly)

Ekdahl of L'Anse, Margaret Richards of Garden, MI; brother:

Kenneth Loonsfoot of Marquette; sister: Agatha (Michael)

Cardinal of Assinins; and many beloved grandchildren, great

(10) Midaaswi

grandchildren, great great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death are her parents; husband, Paul;

son; David Ekdahl; baby girl daughter; and siblings: James

Loonsfoot, Barbara Haalapa, Patricia Pillsbury, Lawrence

Loonsfoot, Jean Aho, and Lois Aldred.

Visitation was held on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, from 11

a.m.—1 p.m., at Most Holy Name of Jesus Church. A private

family funeral mass followed visitation at 1:00 p.m. with Fr.

Corey Litzner officiating. Burial was at the Assinins Cemetery. A luncheon followed at the Ojibwa Senior Center in

Baraga. People were asked to follow the social distancing

recommendations of the CDC. The Jacobson Funeral Home

assisted the family.

Jeffery (Jeff) Allen Villwock

1966—February 3, 2020)

Jeff Villwock, age 54, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, passed

away peacefully on Monday, February 3, 2020, at home in

Milwaukee with his family at his side.

Jeff was preceded in death by his father Gordon W. Villwock. Those left to cherish his memory include: his devoted

mother Betty (Denomie) Villwock of Milwaukee, Wisconsin;

brothers: Gordon of Milwaukee and Michael (Sandy) of Lemont, Illinois; and sisters: Deborah Meunier of Philadelphia

and Katherine Banghart of Westmont, Illinois. He is survived

by and will be greatly missed by nephews: Corey, Chad, and

Joey Banghart, and Benjamin and Cristopher Villwock; and

niece: Chloe Meunier.

Jeff graduated from Marquette University High School in

Milwaukee and received a bachelor degree in both psychology and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1987. Furthering his education, he received a Master's degree in software engineering from the University of

Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

He served in the role of Aviation and Aerospace Software

Engineer at Astronautics Corporation of America for more

than a decade.

Music, friendship, and family were Jeff's passion and the

focus of life. In the late 1980’s, he was the bassist for several popular local bands including: Her Majesty's Secret Service, International Jet Set, and Highball Holiday that packed

clubs and halls on the Milwaukee’s east side, and in Chicago

and Madison with their forays in ska, reggae, and soul.

The Villwock family would like to extend its deepest gratitude to all the nurses from Horizon Home Care for their attentiveness and compassionate care.

At his request Jeff’s body was donated to science in an

effort to help others. A celebration of Jeff's life will be held at

a later date.

TRIBAL COURT CRIMINAL

SENTENCES

The Tribal Court has agreed to comply with the

request of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s CEO’s Office to publish criminal sentencing on a routine basis.

Robert Genschow, Jr., case #20-019, §3.402, Malicious

destruction of personal property – 1st offense

Sentencing on 05/20/2020, #20-019, §3.402 :

1. Fine $125.00.

2. Thirty days jail, credit for 30 days served. Defendant is financially responsible for the cost of lodging and any expenses incurred while incarcerated.

3. Six months of alcohol and drug restricted probation with a

$10.00 monthly probation fee. Defendant is financially responsible for the costs of drug and PBT testing, if any.

4. Restitution is To-Be-Determined.

5. Defendant shall obtain a substance abuse screening and shall

follow that screening until successfully discharged. Defendant

shall sign a release of information to allow the Court to monitor

compliance.

6. Defendant shall contact the Court today, after released from

custody, with his up-dated address.

7. Absolutely no contact in any fashion with the victim.

Robert Genschow, Jr., case #20-035, §3.1308, Disobedience of a lawful court order – 6th offense

Continues page eleven.

Criminal report continued:

Sentencing on 05/20/2020, #20-035, §3.1308 :

1. Forty hours community service. Suspended if working 40 hours

a week. Defendant shall provide documentation of employment

to the Probation Officer.

2. Thirty days jail, credit for 30 days jail served. Defendant is financially responsible for the cost of lodging and any expenses

incurred while incarcerated.

3. Six months of alcohol and drug restricted probation with a

$10.00 monthly probation fee. Defendant is financially responsible for the costs of drug and PBT testing, if any.

4. Defendant shall obtain a substance abuse screening and shall

follow that screening until successfully discharged. Defendant

shall sign a release of information to allow the Court to monitor

compliance.

5. Defendant shall contact the Court today, after released from

custody, with his up-dated address.

Robert Genschow, Jr., case #20-057, §3.405, Maliciously

injuring or destroying plants or natural growth – 1st offense

Sentencing on 05/20/2020, §3.405:

1. Fine $125.00.

2. Thirty days jail, credit for nine days jail served, 21 days suspended pending successful completion of all aspects of probation. Defendant is financially responsible for the cost of lodging

and any expenses incurred while incarcerated.

3. Six months of alcohol and drug restricted probation with a

$10.00 monthly probation fee. Defendant is financially responsible for the costs of drug and PBT testing, if any.

4. Restitution is To-Be-Determined.

5. Defendant shall obtain a substance abuse screening and shall

follow that screening until successfully discharged. Defendant

shall sign a release of information to allow the Court to monitor

compliance.

6. Defendant shall contact the Court today, after released from

custody, with his up-dated address.

International Day Against

Homophobia Commemorated

none more blatantly than when behavioral scientists listed homosexuality as a mental disorder. In 1952 homosexuality debuted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) courtesy of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Despite subsequent research consistently failing

to produce scientific evidence that homosexuality was anything other than natural; 20 years had passed before the new

research was fully accepted.

Intimate Partner Violence takes a toll on the LGBTQI+++

Since then, the LGBTQI2S has made substantial gains in

reclaiming their natural presence in the world, but the damage

had been done resulting in much higher rates of hate crimes,

sexual assaults as well as domestic and dating violence. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence

Survey (NISVS), the percentage of males and females who

experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner include:

61% of bisexual women

37% of bisexual men

44% of lesbian women

26% of gay men

35% of heterosexual women

29% of heterosexual men

Identify and Decode Tactics of Abuse

Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one

partner to maintain power and control over another partner in

an intimate relationship. Examining the methods of power and

control can help survivors identify and decode tactics of

abuse in a relationship. In the LGBTQI2S community, these

behaviors can be rooted in and reinforce homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia.







By: StrongHearts Native Helpline

Just 30 years ago on May 17, 1990, the World Health Organization took action to declassify homosexuality as a mental

disorder. Commemorating the event, the International Lesbian, Gay Association (ILGA) designated May 17 as the International Day Against Homophobia. Since then, the movement

has grown and diversified leading to renaming the organization and the day of celebration.

On May 17, 2020, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,

Trans and Intersex Association (ILGBTIA) commemorated the

International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia with the theme, “Breaking the Silence.” It was a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities when tens of

thousands of the LGBTQI community spoke up about a single

vision: freedom and equality for all sexual, gender and bodily

minorities.

The Acronyms

The LGBT acronym has several variations and combinations with plus signs representing any variation of letters that

encompass other spectrums of sexuality and gender. For example, adding the letter Q to represent those who identify as

queer or questioning and I to represent intersex. Other lesserknown acronyms include numbers, such as “2S” which stands

for the Two-Spirit — an umbrella term representing Native

people who identify with an alternate gender or sexual orientation.

Two-Spirits (One Body)

Prior to European influence and during colonization, twospirited people had been documented in more than 130 tribes

in every region of North America. They were celebrated by

their people as gifted individuals born with both male and female spirits. The idea of one person having two spirits was

one of admiration and respect. In fact, they played important

roles as healers, name givers, storytellers, and caregivers

who were often called upon to raise orphaned children.

(Walking in Two Worlds: Supporting the Two-Spirit and Native

LGBTQ Community, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition. A booklet/project supported by the Office on

Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.)

Homosexuality Categorized as a Mental Disorder

Over the past several hundred years, the two-spirit and the

LGBTQI2S community has suffered unimaginable abuse, but











Emotional abuse: putting you down, calling you names,

questioning are you a real lesbian or real man.

Denying, minimizing, blaming: saying women can’t

abuse women and men can’t abuse men, making light of

abuse or saying it was your fault, you deserved it, or denying it happened.

Intimidation: making you afraid by using looks, actions

and gestures to reinforce homophobic, biphobic or transphobic control, abusing pets.

Coercion and Threats: making and/or carrying out

threats to harm you, children, or pets, threatening to “out”

you, leave you, or commit suicide.

Children: guilting you about the children, using them to

relay messages, threatening to tell authorities that you are

LGBTQI2S, so they can take your children.

Isolation: taking control of what you do, who you see or

talk to, using jealousy to control you and make you account for your whereabouts, saying no one will believe you

especially because you are LGBTQI2S.

Privilege: treating you like a servant, making all the big

decisions, being the one to define each partner’s roles or

duties, cutting off your access to resources,

Economic abuse: preventing you from getting or keeping

a job, making you ask for money, keeping your name off

joint assets, using your credit cards without permission.

Understanding patterns of abuse is a starting point in

maintaining healthy relationships. If any of these behaviors

raise a red flag for you, you may be in an unhealthy or abusive relationship. To get help, visit our website at https://

www.strongheartshelpline.org/. Callers can connect with

StrongHearts Native Helpline at 1-844-7NATIVE (1-844-7628483) daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Chat Advocacy is now

available daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Click on the “Chat

Now” icon on the website. As a collaboration with the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, callers reaching

out after hours can connect with The Hotline by choosing option one.

Courtesy StrongHearts Native Helpline.

(11) Ashi bezhig

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Office of Child Support Services

P.O. Box 490, Baraga, MI 49908

Phone: 906-353-4566

Fax: 906-353-8132

“YOUR Children …

OUR Priority”

We provide the

following services:

• Paternity Establishment

• Establishment of Child

Support

• Outreach Services

• Mediation

Permit No. 62

U.S Postage PAID

Big Rapids, MI 49307

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

16429 Bear Town Rd-Baraga, MI 49908-9210

PRE-SORT STANDARD

(12) Ashi Niizh