Signs of progress are now plainly evident in construction of the Eyaawing museum and cultural center on the Peshawbestown reservation of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.The name Eyaawing was selected by tribal members. It translates as "Who we are" in Anishinaabemowin, the language of Michigan’s native Anishnaabek people.
Ground was broken for the new facility in August 2007, but construction of the building was delayed earlier this year while crews awaited delivery of steel beams.
Last week, workers from Skywalker Erectors of Spring Lake, Mich., began assembling the steel beams. Tribal officials said they hope the newly built facility will open this summer.
Located near the West Grand Traverse Bay waterfront on M-22 in Peshawbestown, the 6,000-square-foot facility will cost about $1 million to build and is being paid for in part with a $500,000 federal grant.
"The creation of a museum and cultural center has been a long-time vision of the Grand Traverse Band," Pat Putney, GTB Elders and Cultural Department manager was quoted as saying in a news release. The museum will be a place of learning and safekeeping, she said. Emphasis will be on education and "increasing the understanding and respect for the Grand Traverse Band’s vibrant culture, art, and history," she added.
The new museum and cultural center will be within walking distance of the tribe’s Leelanau Sands Casino and a tribally owned convenience store fronting M-22 in Suttons Bay Township. Also slated for construction this spring just to the north of the museum and store on the West Grand Traverse Bay waterfront will be a new tribal yacht marina.
The museum and cultural center building was designed by architect Steve Feringa, a tribal member. The upper floor of the two-story building will house galleries, audio/video viewing room, archives, a study center and the Eyaawing Museum Store. On the ground floor, space is allocated for collections storage, a work room and classrooms. The shoreline museum grounds, accessible from both levels, will be an outdoor commons area where the public can learn about the Anishnaabek’s traditional uses of plants.
Tribal member Mikki Pino has been serving as Museum Advisory Board chair.
"It is important to establish the policies, guidelines and planning documents that will establish a trustworthy and sustainable instutution," Pino was quoted as saying in the news release. "These are extremely time consuming but necessary."
Other preliminary work has included the initial gathering and processing of objects for the museum’s collections. Visioning sessions held last year with tribal members provided guidelines for the cultural, historical and spiritual content of the center’s exhibits and programs, according to the tribe.
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