DATE: Friday, March 1, 2024
Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians submits response to proposed findings on federal recognition
Response provides comprehensive and indisputable evidence why the tribe should be reaffirmed by U.S. Department of the Interior
GRAND RAPIDS – The Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians this week submitted a 148-page response to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s proposed findings on the tribe’s federal status.
The response comes after the U.S. Department of the Interior issued its initial negative proposed findings in February 2023.
“The Grand River Bands has deep roots in Michigan, with agreements with the federal government dating back to 1795, and we trust that the Department of the Interior will do the right thing and reestablish the government-to-government relationship with our tribe,” said Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians. “We are confident that the additional information submitted makes a comprehensive and indisputable case for federal recognition and ultimately provides justice and critical resources for our tribal members.”
The Grand River Bands’ response to the proposed findings provides detailed information and evidence that the Department of the Interior should reaffirm the government-to-government relationship with the tribe, as is legally required based on multiple treaties executed between the tribe and the federal government in 1821, 1836 and 1855, and that the Grand River Bands is a “distinct community.”
The tribe’s response also identifies significant issues in the administrative tribal recognition process, including its subjective and ambiguous nature.
The response details evidence of the Grand River Bands’ qualifications to be reaffirmed as a federally recognized tribe, including the same or similar evidence used by the Department of the Interior and Congress to recognize other Michigan tribes such as the Gun Lake Tribe, Nottawaseppi Band, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa, Pokagon Band, Grand Traverse Band and Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
The Grand River Bands have advocated for federal recognition for nearly 30 years through the federal acknowledgment process. Federal recognition will allow tribal members to access critical resources such as tuition, health care and housing assistance, among many others.
Alongside the process through the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Grand River Bands continue to advocate for the passage of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act of 2023, which was introduced in September by bi-partisan members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
View a summary of the Grand River Bands’ response to the Department of the Interior
View the tribe’s full response to the Department of the Interior
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The Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians is a native sovereign nation with agreements with the federal government dating back to 1795. The Grand River Bands originally included 19 bands of Ottawa people who lived along the Grand River and other waterways in southwest Michigan. Most of the Grand River Bands’ current membership resides in Kent, Muskegon and Oceana counties.