bg真人

Published: September 14, 2023

By Lynda Hollinger-Janzen of Mennonite Mission Network

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary/Mennonite Mission Network/Mennonite Central Committee Great Lakes) 鈥� The 鈥� in partnership with Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (bg真人), (MCC Great Lakes) and 鈥� will unveil the first memorial signage of the 叠辞诲茅飞补诲尘颈-惭测补补尘颈补 (Potawatomi-Miami) Trail at bg真人 on Friday, Sept. 29, from 10:20 to 10:40 a.m. 

One main trail sign and three signs for the spur to the St. Joseph River will be unveiled on the bg真人 campus in Elkhart, Indiana. The 20-minute ceremony will include a description of the trail and the unveiling of signs. The event is free and open to the public. 

鈥淚t is with great joy that MCC Great Lakes celebrates the first memorial signage of the 叠辞诲茅飞补诲尘颈-惭测补补尘颈补 Trail,鈥� said Juan Pacheco Lozano, MCC Great Lakes Peace & Justice Coordinator and a member of the Trail Marker Group. 鈥淲e are grateful to be part of this initiative seeking to repair historic harm and recognize those present in the land before us. We hope this project raises awareness in the community about Indigenous people who are still our neighbors.鈥�

The Sept. 29 posting of the 叠辞诲茅飞补诲尘颈-惭测补补尘颈补 Trail signs is part of an initial focus to mark the trail in Elkhart County. A longer-term goal is to mark the route across northern Indiana, as it passes through private properties and county land. In some areas, roads are paved on the original trail, as is the case for portions of U.S. 33.

According to the Trail Marker Group, the 145-mile trail holds profound importance as a route traversed by the 叠辞诲茅飞补诲尘颈 and Myaamia peoples, two of the original Indigenous communities who have lived in the Great Lakes Region for thousands of years. This trail was a lifeline that facilitated trade, cultural exchange and connections between communities.

Luke Gascho, EdD, Executive Director Emeritus of of , became interested in the extensive trail systems of the Indigenous peoples of the region as he researched the history of the land he lives on. As he studied an 1830 survey, he observed a major Indigenous trade route that traversed the Maumee River Watershed (Fort Wayne area) to Lake Michigan (Chicago area) and connected to other major Indigenous trails in the region.

Inspired by Gascho鈥檚 presentations throughout the Goshen community about this trail, volunteers began to offer their services to document the Indigenous transportation artery and its spurs as one way to memorialize the Indigenous peoples. Nine of these volunteers founded the Potawatomi and Miami Trail Marker Group, which works to raise awareness of the history of violent removal of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands as settlers moved westward.

鈥淔or too long the Indigenous peoples of this region 鈥� and their history 鈥� have been ignored,鈥� said Gascho. 鈥淢arking this Indigenous route through the landscape of northern Indiana is a way of honoring the Potawatomi and Miami people.鈥�

He said the trail markers and informational displays will aid in raising awareness among people who see the signage, and he hopes to see actions of reparative justice emerge with the Indigenous peoples who lived on and loved this land for hundreds of generations.

The Potawatomi and Miami Trail Marker Group consulted with representatives of these tribes, who also collaborated on the name of the trail:

• Diane Hunter, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for
• Executive Director of the and former Director of the
• Matthew Bussler, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the
• Nicole Holloway, Director of the History and Culture Center for the
• R. Blake Norton, Curator of the

This signage event is taking place as part of the Rooted and Grounded Conference on Land and Christian Discipleship being held at bg真人 Sept. 28-30. Kaitlin Curtice, a Potawatomi author and speaker whose ancestors lived in this region, is one of the keynote speakers for the conference.

A pre-conference immersion experience 鈥� “Potawatomi-Miami Trail in Elkhart County” 鈥� will take place on Thursday, Sept. 28, from 1 to 5 p.m., led by Gascho. There is a cost to participate in the immersion experience and the conference, and registration is required by Sept. 20.

To attend the Sept. 29 unveiling of the memorial signage, use the drive for the Mennonite Church USA offices () and park in the bg真人 south parking lot near the Chapel of the Sermon on the Mount. Please arrive by 10:15 a.m. The dedication will start next to the solar panels.

For more information, contact Janeen Bertsche Johnson, MDiv, bg真人 Director of Campus Ministries, at 574-296-6216 or jbjohnson@ambs.edu.

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu

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