Néyap Mishnak and Historic Fort Wayne

CM credit hours for mobile workshops are awarded based on the planned dedicated instructional time. Adjustments to CM hours will not be made after the live event.

This workshop visits Historic Fort Wayne, a city-owned and -operated public park and site of the region's last remaining Native American burial mound. Presenters from the City of Detroit and the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) explain how municipalities and tribal governments can work together toward native ownership and co-management. While touring Fort Wayne and the burial mound, learn about the city and NHBP's shared journey through land reclamation (néyap mishnak or land back) that returned the sacred burial ground to tribal ownership.

Creating a legitimate partnership between tribal nations and municipalities can raise challenges for both sides. Working through the land transfer involved trust building and negotiations. NHBP was diligent about sharing their capabilities and capacity to take care of the returned land while exercising tribal sovereignty. Establishing a parcel's tribal nation ownership affects municipal plans for other public spaces, which must respect that interface and boundary while still functioning for public use.

Highlights include lessons learned through the Section 106 process and tribal perspectives on building relationships with non-tribal governments.