Northern Michigan University's Center for Upper Peninsula Studies and the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center will present the 19th annual Sonderegger Symposium, titled “Anishinaabek: East, South, West, North” on Friday, Nov. 1. This free event will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Northern Center. There will be a free lunch and refreshments available for attendees.
Karen Diver, who was appointed by President Obama as the special assistant to the president for Native American affairs, will deliver the keynote address. As part of the Domestic Policy Council, Diver assisted with inter-agency efforts, policy and regulatory changes to benefit 567 Native American tribes. Diver also was chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from 2007-2015.
Other presenters and featured guests at the event include NMU Native American Studies professors April Lindala, Jud Sojourn, Martin Reinhardt, Michael Dorn and Aimee Cree Dunn, Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center director Daniel Truckey and Charlene Brissette of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, among others.
This year's theme references the First Nations of this region and the medicine wheel, which represents not only the four directions, but many facets of traditional life. This interdisciplinary symposium will feature presentations on many aspects of Anishinaabek life, both past and present. The symposium is the largest academic conference dedicated to the study of the Upper Peninsula and Upper Great Lakes region.
To see the complete schedule with presentation times, visit https://www.nmu.edu/beaumierheritagecenter/events.