Fort de Buade Vote Looms; City Pursues Tribe's Offer
By Karen Gould

Part of the Fort de Buade Museum collection is this shoulder bag beadwork panel from this region in the 1890s.

An ad hoc committee has recommended that the City of St. Ignace pursue a $700,000 offer from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to purchase the Fort de Buade Museum building and contents, amidst protests from some tribal members that the money go elsewhere.

Meeting Wednesday, January 31, a city council committee comprised of Don Gustafson, Paul Fullerton, and Willie LaLonde discussed the museum with members of the Michilimackinac Historical Association before making the recommendation to the full council, which accepted it at its meeting Monday, February 5.

Meanwhile, the tribe is reviewing a petition to hold a tribal referendum on the grant, with a decision of the board expected as early as Tuesday, February 6. The referendum, if approved, would be held within 60 days and require 30 percent of registered voters to vote, with a simple majority needed to overturn the tribal board's decision in January.

Tribal officials were not sure at press time how many members are registered to vote. The tribe has about 33,000 members, including children.

A 24-eagle-feather headdress from this area.

At the January 31 city committee meeting, members were concerned the city would incur additional costs to operate the museum, but were told by historical society representatives that the society could continue to operate the facility, as it did this summer under an agreement with owner Marylan Benson, whose husband, the late Dr. Donald Benson, assembled the collection.

Tribal board member Keith Massaway said the tribal board supported the project because it wants to keep the rare artifacts relating to Native culture in this area. The artifacts range from lumber and Civil War-era pieces to rare beaded deerskin dresses, baskets, and quill boxes made by American Indians. Paintings, rifles and pistols, and an extensive spear and arrowhead collection are also included in an appraised inventory list 45 pages long.

Tom Pfeiffelmann of St. Ignace, who is a member of the Michilimackinac Historical Society said, "I'm not a French or Native American, but if I were a Native American teacher in the Soo or in Pickford or in Cedarville, what I would do every spring is bring my classes down to this museum to show them their heritage, pre-colonial, pre-Columbus, and all the way through to today. It's in there," he said. "It is not all authentic, but there is a lot of it."

The Fort de Buade Museum on State Street in St. Ignace.

"It's the most precious stuff that you could have from your past," he added.

Council members also questioned the soundness of the building and were told the city building inspector and the fire chief had inspected the structure and the roof had been replaced in the last few years. City Manager Eric Dodson said the museum would fall under the city's insurance umbrella.

About three-quarters of the two-hour meeting was spent listening to the complaints of Tony Grondin, a tribal member who helped circulate petitions calling for the referendum to vote on the grant.

Mr. Grondin said he opposed the $700,000 grant to St. Ignace because he doesn't think that much of the Benson collection is related to local Indian heritage, because he believes the board did not adhere to an application process in making the grant, and because he believes the money would be better spent elsewhere.

Mrs. Benson is asking $500,000 for the 9,500-squarefoot building and collection.

Mr. Massaway said the tribe added $200,000 to cover legal fees, taxes, and other financing costs associated with the purchase, bringing its total grant to $700,000, to be distributed over six years at $118,398 a year. A stipulation is that the artifacts be turned over to the tribe in the event the city is not longer able or willing to display them.

Up until last year, the tribe had been contributing $220,000 a year toward the construction of Little Bear East Arena and Conference Center. With that commitment satisfied, Mr. Massaway said he sought another long-term project for the St. Ignace area was able to convince the tribal board to allow the city to save the Benson collection. The tribe will use the rest of the Little Bear East grant for a project on Shunk Road in Sault Ste. Marie.

The St. Ignace casino generates approximately $800,000 in twopercent money, with approximately $300,000 being used in this area, while the rest of the funds are disbursed to other units, reported Mr. Massaway at the January 2 tribal board meeting, at which the board voted to give $700,000 to the city.

Mr. Grondin said that he would prefer the money be used to help him and other tribal members living in St. Ignace Township pay for their increase in sewer bills when an unplanned bypass was added to eliminate sewer odors in Evergreen Shores last year. The bypass cost the township more than $200,000 and added approximately $2.42 to bills per home per month, as reported in The St. Ignace News in August 2006.

Should there be a referendum, and if tribal members don't ratify the board's resolution, however, Mr. Massaway noted, the money slated for Fort de Buade could be moved to Marquette or other places.

Tribal casinos are required under a compact with the state to distribute two percent of slot machine revenue to local units of government. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians distributes its two-percent funds through both long-term and short-term agreements, said Cory Wilson, communications director for the tribe.

He said Mr. Grondin is mistaken about the board not following an application process.

"Historically, long-term agreements were, and continue to be, arranged at the board of directors level," Mr. Wilson told The St. Ignace News. "Past long-term agreements were set without going through an application process. Long-term agreements are often arranged for important community projects that require long-term funding over several years. Agreements are based upon the project's importance to the community, whether the appropriate amount of funding is available, and whether or not the majority of tribe's board of directors agrees to enter into such an agreement."

Based on the high number of requests for short-term agreements for two percent money, an application process was developed, Mr. Wilson said. Short-term applications are considered twice yearly.

Steve Brisson, chief curator for the Mackinac State Historic Parks, told The St. Ignace News Friday, February 2, the collection includes some original pieces from this area, some from this region, and some pieces that do not pertain to this area.

"There were pieces we would love to have in our collection," he said.

He, along with Dr. Lynn Evans, curator of archaeology for the agency, previously visited the museum at the request of the historical society. He called the collection a "big eclectic mix" and a "very impressive collection."

At the time of his visit, he offered to assist the historical society and recommended it have a full inventory of the items to get a good analysis of the pieces by professionals.

He said he remembers seeing quill work that was done on birch bark and a 19th century traders cabin, which he said "contains several interesting pieces."

The referendum requires at least 100 signatures on a petition, validated by the tribal board secretary and tribal registrar, and approval of the tribal board. According to the constitution, the referendum would address the original resolution made by the board. The board's resolution, number 2007-01, does not specifically mention Fort de Buade, rather it offers funding to the city, and states, "Now, therefore, be it resolved, that Unit III will retain, at least $118,398 per year through the term of the existing compact for the City of St. Ignace, of the two percent monies."