Indigenous Peoples of Michigan

The name Michigan come from a Chippewan Indian word "Michigana" meaning "great or large lake"

To learn how to get started with American Indian research, find research facilities, and American Indian websites click here.

Tribes and Bands of Michigan
The following list of tribes and bands of American Indians who have lived in Michigan has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico...  and Swanton's Indian Tribes of North America.

Tribes:


 * Chippewa
 * Delaware
 * Fox
 * Huron
 * Kickapoo
 * Menominee
 * Miami
 * Neutrals
 * Noquet
 * Ottawa
 * Potawatomi
 * Sauk
 * Winnebago
 * Wyandot

Bands:


 * Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
 * Croix Band of Chippewa
 * Grand River
 * Grand Traverse
 * Keweenaw Bay
 * L'Anse
 * Lac Vieux Desert
 * Little River
 * Little Traverse
 * Mackinac
 * Ontonagon
 * Saginaw - Chippewa
 * Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa, East Saginaw

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. Those reservations named in bold are current federally-recognized reservations, with their associated agency and tribe(s). Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.


 * Bay Mills Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Michigan Agency, Tribe: Chippewa
 * Chippewa Reservation:
 * Grand Traverse Reservation: State, under jurisdiction of Michigan Agency, Tribe: Chippewa and Ottawa
 * Hannahville Community: Federal, under jurisdiction of Michigan Agency, Tribe: Potawatomi
 * Huron Potawatomi Reservation : Federal recognized,Tribe Potawatomi
 * Isabella (Saginaw) Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Michigan Agency, Tribe: Saginaw Chippewa
 * L'Anse (Keweenaw Bay) Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Michigan Agency, Tribe: Lake Supior Band Chippeewa
 * Little River Reservation
 * Little Traverse Bay Bands Reservation
 * Michigan Reservation: 1837-1848
 * Ontonagon Reservation: State,1854
 * Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
 * Sault Ste. Marie Reservation: State, under jurisdiction of Michigan Agency, Tribe:

Agencies and Subagencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Michigan has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Great Lakes Agency
 * Lac du Flambeau Agency
 * Mackinac Agency, 1828-1880
 * Michigan Agency, Federal Square Office Plaza, P.O. Box 884, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
 * Saginaw Subagency
 * Sault Ste. Marie Agency, 1824-1852

Indian Schools
The Office of Indian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs) established a network of schools throughout the United States, beginning with Carlisle Indian School, established in 1879. Some of these schools were day schools, usually focusing on Indian children of a single tribe or reservation. Some were boarding schools which served Indian children from a number of tribes and reservations.

In addition, other groups such as various church denominations established schools specifically focusing on American Indian children. (read more...)

The following list of Indian Schools in Michigan has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Bay Mills School
 * Bena School
 * Mt. Pleasant Indian School

Family History Library
Michigan Superintendency of Indian Affairs 1814-1851. (On 71 films Family History Library starting with 1604649.)

Northern Superintendency 1851-1876. M1166.(On 35 Family History Library films starting with 1490921.)