Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black River Fund
Posted: July 29th, 2010Today I received a brochure being circulated by a group known as “Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black River Fund,” whose mission is stated as “Preserving, Protecting and Promoting the History of the Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black River Bands for Future Generations.”
The brochure includes an agenda from a meeting held July 11, 2010 which included opening remarks and an overview of the group’s current initiative by Ben Hinmon, the group’s Executive Director; “Intervention vs. Amicus Brief” by Attorney Paula Fisher; a historical report by Ethnohistorian Dr. James McClurken; and Introduction of Board Members.
The following excerpts are from the group’s brochure:
“Phase 1. Preserving Our History - The Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black River Fund was founded to preserve, protect and promote the political history of the historic peoples of the Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black River Bands. These closely related Bands of Mississauga Ojibwa who lived in close proximity in Southeastern Michigan, Southern Ontario, Canada and Northern Ohio.
“After 1937 many of the historic peoples were erroneously disenfranchised by the United States and today are struggling to tell their story of a “failed trust” by the United States.
“Phase 2. Protecting Our Rights - For many years the federal government has mistakenly recognized the contemporary IRA-created tribe as Successor-in-Interest to more than a dozen treaties signed by the Bands with the United States…new evidence has shown the contemporary group to be a created federal entity under the IRA.
“The Fund is currently spearheading an effort to organize the historical descendants and weigh-in on the contemporary tribe’s claim in its Federal Reservation Boundary Case.
“Phase 3. Promoting Our Story - Will involve identifying and organizing all of the historic people who a) are targeted for disenrollment by the modern-day Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe; b) have been denied enrollment by the modern-day SCIT; and c) have never applied for membership but believe they are descendants of the historical bands.
“Once these people are identified the Fund will begin a campaign directed at Congressional leaders…The 1855 Treaty of Detroit illegally terminated the Bands from their federal tribal status and reorganized the Indians living on Isabella Reservation creating a whole new group.
“Phase 4. Restoration and Reaffirmation - Will seek legislative action by Congressional leaders to repair the violations of the federal trust responsibility…The historic tribes administrative termination under the IRA was done without tribal or congressional consent and is therefore null and void.”
Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black River Fund brochure.
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