Ottawa Indian Museum Exhibit Where: Van Andel Museum Grand Rapids, Michigan May 31-June 3, 2012 Hours: 9 am to 5 pm Sunday from noon to 5pm

Event Information This event will coincide with the permanent exhibit at Van Andel Museum called, Anishinabek: The People of This Place. This exhibit covers natives from the Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Chippewa tribes respectively.

Event Information This event will include examples of Ottawa beadwork, basketry, canoes, and clothing native to their culture. Local Ottawa natives will be in attendance to share stories of their culture and history. Ottawa Indians will also be walking around the exhibit in both traditional Ottawa clothing and non-native clothing to help visitors understand that every native individual doesn’t look the same. This will also show that “no one sees Indians,” because many visitors wont notice the natives in non-native clothing.

Ottawa Indian Information Ottawa comes from the word “adawe,” which means to trade, buy, or sell. Ottawa Indians were skilled traders that traded furs, skins, rugs, tobacco, cornmeal, sunflower oil, and herbs. Ottawa Indians lived in Southern Ontario and in multiple areas of Michigan.

Info. Cont. Ottawa Indians settled in areas around Dertoit, Ontario, Ottawa, and along Lake Michigan. Ottawa Indians now live in Michigan, Canada, and Oklahoma. Ottawa is spelled Odawa in their culture.

Ottawa Indian Culture and Traits Ottawa women wore long dresses and robes in winter. Ottawa men wore leather moccasins and cloaks when weather turned cold. Much of their clothing was decorated with creative beadwork. Men often wore extensive tribal tattoos. Men also wore headbands with feathers.

Culture and Traits Cont. Beadwork and basketry were common forms of artwork in Ottawa culture. Ottawa Indians were also known for their birchbark canoes.

Themes of the Exhibit What was I expecting? Visitors will be asked to fill out a questionnaire asking them what they were expecting when they visited this exhibit and what they actually learned and how their perceptions changed after their visit. Ottawa Indians will be used to represent the opinions and knowledge of this group of people as a whole. Expertise outside of the Ottawa Indian people will not be on display.

Themes of the Exhibit Othering will also be a topic covered during this exhibit. Both the positive and negative sides of othering will be covered during the event. (Racist and discriminatory forms of othering and simple forms of othering like cultural differences). Self-representation will also be a topic of discussion because many natives feel that non-natives should not be recognized as individuals that can represent their culture and lifestyle.

Themes of the Exhibit Typical stereotypes of Ottawa Indians and other natives will be displayed and discussed. Native Americans from the Ottawa’s will explain how Natives are misrepresented in Hollywood. Native Americans are represented as an other because of their “broken and partial forms” (Invisible Natives).

Themes of the Exhibit Native Americans as a whole are thought to be behind the times with technology, as discussed in Indians in Unexpected Places. This exhibit will have many successful Ottawa Indians that can explain how they are “with the times” and as knowledgeable with technology as any other race.

Purpose of the Event The main purpose of this event is to help other individuals to understand how Ottawa Indians and other Native Americans live in society today and their culture. The Grand Rapids area is populated with Ottawa people and many of us don’t understand anything about their lifestyle or culture.

Works Cited Deloria, Philip J. Indians in Unexpected Places. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, Print. es/ottawa/ottawahist.htm. Ottawa Indian Tribe History. Web. es/ottawa/ottawahist.htm Prats, Armando J. Invisible Natives. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, Print.