2021 – Michigan Social Studies Standard Guide Released

In 2021, the Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments (CMTED) created the first edition of a resource manual to accompany the 2019 Michigan State Board of Education Social Studies Standards Guide (Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments, 2021, p. 2). The “Manifesting Destiny: Re/presentations of Indigenous Peoples in K-12 U.S. History Standards,” study found that prior to 2019, none (zero) of Michigan’s 39 standards mentioned Indigenous Peoples or life post-1900 (Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments, 2021, p. 10). This finding speaks to the longstanding historical practices that have attempted to erase the histories of the Anishinabek people and continue to confine Indigenous Peoples to a distant past (Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments, 2021, pp. 9-10). These new standards are a significant improvement over the old, as they now contain 51 standards that reference Indigenous Peoples and 25 of them are post-1900 (Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments, 2021, p. 10).

The twelve (12) federally recognized tribes of Michigan are comprised of the Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Hannahville Indian Community, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi [emphasis added], Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe), Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (CMTED, 2021).

[They] form the Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments (CMTED). The CMTED is committed to developing educated, confident, competitive, proficient tribal citizens who excel in any venture they pursue while maintaining their rich Anishinabe culture and language (CMTED, 2021).

[The CMTED believes] it is critical that we raise our voices and participate at all levels of decision-making, discourse, and policymaking. The Michigan Social Studies Standards review process was one such opportunity for participating (CMTED, 2021).

(Click on the cover page above to be directed to the Michigan Social Studies Standard Guide*)

*This document is intentionally aligned with the Social Studies Standards adopted by the Michigan State Board of Education in June of 2019. This document is the first edition of the resource manual to accompany these standards and was published in 2021(Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments, 2021, p. 2).

 

Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments Letter of Endorsement
4/20/2021

It is critical that we raise our voices and participate at all levels of decision-making, discourse, and policymaking. The Social Studies Standards review process was one such opportunity for participating. While the review process of the 2007 standards first began in 2013, it wasn’t until a second attempt at the revision was made in 2016 that a true and authentic opportunity for having a seat at the table was possible. The Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments (CMTED) and fellow Indigenous brothers and sisters, both collectively and individually, became involved by serving on content area writing teams and the bias review committee, attending “listen and learn” sessions, and submitting public comment. Additionally, a concerted and strategic effort was made by CMTED to rally support within Michigan’s tribal communities and to encourage the submission of feedback related to the identified standards.

Our voice was heard; our presence was impactful…but the work is not done. While the updated standards are not perfect, the process allowed for more authentic contributions and accurate references than ever before in Michigan’s Social Studies content history. CMTED advocated for and endorsed a total of 51 standards, of those, (39) were approved. Beyond these 39 Indigenous-specific standards, additional content related to Indigenous Peoples historically and contemporarily was also expanded in the example sections throughout the Social Studies Standards. We encourage you to use the examples provided as well as come up with your own with the goal of being more inclusive of Indigenous Peoples across all curricula. We hope that you embrace this resource manual as a tool to increase your own knowledge and to assist in the implementation of the standards in your classroom.

In order to shift longstanding historical practices that have attempted to erase our histories, we as Anishinabek people must continue to assert ourselves, lift our voices, advocate to be included and protect and exercise our educational sovereignty. By taking action we are fulfilling our responsibility to the next seven generations. By exercising our rights, we are honoring our ancestors and the educational provisions were intentionally written into treaties.

The efforts at erasure have plagued our public education and have contributed to the invisibility of our tribal communities, perpetuating the myth that tribal people simply disappeared after the establishment of the original colonies. According to the 2019 National Congress of American Indians “Becoming Visible” report, “Eighty-seven (87) percent of state history standards do not mention Native American history after 1900; Twenty-seven (27) states make no mention of a single Native American in their K-12 curriculum.” This erasure is also evident in Michigan. The “Manifesting Destiny: Re/presentations of Indigenous Peoples in K-12 U.S. History Standards,” study found that prior to 2019, none (zero) of Michigan’s 39 standards mention Indigenous Peoples or life post-1900. This finding speaks to the ongoing erasure and continues to confine Indigenous Peoples to a distant past. While the newly adopted Social Studies Standards (approved June 2019) are still insufficient, there has been significant improvement as they now contain 51 standards that reference Indigenous Peoples and 25 of them are post-1900 (Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments, 2021, pp. 9-10).

Melissa Isaac
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan
Giigdoninkwe (Chair)

Jordan Shananaquet
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Vice Giigdoninokwe (Vice Chair)

Andrea Rainer
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potowatomi
Zhiibininikwe (Secretary)

Jannan Cotto
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Zhoonyaninikwe (Treasurer)

June Smith
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan
Tribal Education Director

Yvonne Parsons
Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
Tribal Education Director

Anna Larson
Hannahville Indian Community
Tribal Education Director

Shannon Belk
Bay Mills Indian Community
Tribal Education Director

Dawn Shenoskey
Grand Travers Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Tribal Education Director

Liz Julio
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
Tribal Education Director

Lisa Corbiere Moran
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Tribal Education Director

References

CMTED. (2021a). Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments (CMTED) Homepage. https://cmted.org/
CMTED. (2021b). Michigan Social Studies Standards Guide | CMTED. https://cmted.org/michigan-social-studies-standards-guide/
Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments. (2021). Maawndoonganan Anishinaabe Resource Manual to Accompany the State of Michigan Social Studies Standards. 91.