The National Center for Great Lakes Native American Culture, Inc. was formed in May of 2001 as a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), organization.  The Center is composed of Native and non-Native members whose mission is to continue and preserve traditional Great Lakes Native American art, history and culture by helping pass those traditions on to Native people and by educating the general public about the importance of Great Lakes Native  art, history and culture.

Over the past five centuries, American Indian cultures in North America have been under constant assault.  Those tribes who experienced first contact with European explorers and traders in the Great Lakes region later faced increasingly aggressive settlement and, eventually, wars with the Euroamericans who came to “own” this land. For much of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, there were federal laws prohibiting Great Lakes Native peoples from practicing their cultural traditions and from holding social or religious ceremonies. As a result, there are many who say that much of that history has been forgotten, that many traditional arts are lost, that the culture has disappeared.  But we know this isn’t true; instead, the history of Great Lakes Native peoples has been mostly invisible to the general public, and though traditional arts, and cultural practices have been much eroded, there is still a great deal left to celebrate, preserve and pass on. Because we believe in and want to contribute to the continuance of the Native peoples of the Great Lakes region, our Center will primarily provide a place for Native people to come together and share their histories, arts and cultures.  Additionally, we feel this process of sharing must include the education of all peoples in order to insure the continuance of Great Lakes Native traditions and to build a future in which Native peoples of the Great Lakes can be better understood and supported.

The Center has no political agenda.  Our focus is on education.  We have seen far too many of our treasured elders and tradition-bearers begin their Spirit Journey without knowing who would carry on in their place.  And we know too many Native people who are displaced from their tribal land-base and separated from their traditional tribal cultures.  Over the past 15 years, the Center’s tribal elders, tradition-bearers and members have been presenting at workshops, symposia, university classrooms, conferences, pow-wows, and other cultural and educational events. We look forward to helping Native peoples, urban cultural centers, universities, public & private K-12 schools, elderhostels, and the general public raise their awareness and understanding of the cultural heritage and history of Great Lakes Native peoples in an inviting, comfortable place with a friendly learning environment.  

Because of the generosity of the Jay County Fair Board, we have been able to select a permanent site for the Center on 35 acres of wooded land in Portland, IN.  This site is near what was once Godfroy and Langlois reserved land (Indiana Miami), but does not contain any specific village or tribal encampment sites.  We felt it was important to build our Center on neutral ground, a space with historic resonance but where all Native peoples would feel welcome and comfortable.  Our plans include using sustainable
 
architecture in our buildings and reintroducing Woodlands plants to the woods and wetlands which currently exist on the site.  All of the planning, building and planting will take place under the careful guidance of our elders and tradition-bearers. 

Now that we have a piece of land upon which to build, we are ready to begin a formal planning stage during which we will pursue grant monies and private donations in order to be able to build our permanent home in Portland no later than 2008.  During the interim five years, we will use the available facilities in the Portland/Jay County community in order to continue to offer our Spring (weekend) and Summer (week-long) workshops and other weekend educational classes, to host our annual Fall gathering (weekend), to begin offering educational programs to regional K-12 schools, to expand our current consulting services, to collaborate with area distance-learning programs and area universities, and to find a temporary sales gallery space for Great Lakes Native American arts and crafts.

All of these activities are overseen by the Center’s Board of Directors, a group composed of dedicated volunteers who have demonstrated a proven commitment to our mission in their own tribal communities, in universities, in other Native-focused and Native-based organizations (Minnetrista Council for Great Lakes Native American Studies, Prophetstown Council for the Preservation of Great Lakes Native American Culture, and others), and as artists, activists and professionals in their home communities.  The Board of Directors currently includes: Pat Broom, Secretary; Karen Cochrane, Treasurer & Workshops Co-Chair; Ray Lutz; Kay Neumayr, Workshops Co-Chair; Malea Powell, Co-Chair; Dan Rapp; Robin McBride Scott, Newsletter Editor; Janice Tierney; Rick Wagar; Mary Wozniak, Membership Chair; and Margo Wynk.   Additionally, the Board is advised by an Elders and Advisors Council composed of individuals who share our mission, have special expertise and are respected in their various communities.  The Center’s most recent event was our Spring Workshop, held at the Indiana Historical Society on March 28-30, in which 6 tradition-bearers instructed 45 students in black ash basket weaving, porcupine-quilled knife sheaths, 1700s Seneca-style raised beadwork, Miami ribbonwork, Great Lakes fingerweaving, and the impact of the fur trade on Great Lakes Native peoples’ lifeways and cultures; there was also a special presentation on the fur trade by Dr. Elizabeth Glenn (Ball State University Emeritus Professor).  Upcoming events include our Summer Workshops, August 3-8th, and our Fall Gathering in early October. 

For more information about the Center go to: http://www.ncglnac.com or contact Malea Powell at malea.powell@ncglnac.com or at 517-432-2577.