Local Indigenous Cultures

As evening rain fell with a cold May wind, we gathered our belongings, stepped off the bus, and exchanged warm hugs and sad goodbyes. Though our journey together has come to an end, the connections we formed through this shared experience will surely remain. The day began with final presentations. As each student spoke, weaving … Keep reading »

By Jill Yoder, junior environmental & marine science major On May 16, a warm and sunny day, our class returned to Peehkahkionki, “the beautiful place,” where we had visited about two weeks earlier. This time, we met Dani Tippmann, who is the Foods Program Director for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Dani is working towards … Keep reading »

By Aaliah Higereda, junior graphic design major and communication minor After lodging at the Chain of Lakes and settling into our last location, Rieth village, located at the Merry Lea Environmental Center in Wolf Lake, Indiana, our group loaded onto the bus at 8:45 a.m. for a trip to Peru, Indiana. Our first stop was … Keep reading »

By Mafe Aguilar Vargas, graphic design and marketing majors Beginning on May 7, we spent two days with the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi and camped one night at their campground. Our first day consisted of hearing about the tribe and experiencing traditional dance and drumming. We were welcomed by our host, Rebecca Williams, the … Keep reading »

Wendy Hernandez, junior nursing major, shares about being a part of a traditional indigenous longhouse ceremony and a tour of Pokagon Health Services with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. After a rather chilly night of camping at the Pokagon Campgrounds, we attended a traditional longhouse ceremony at Zagbëgon Early Learning and Development Academy. Zagbëgon means … Keep reading »

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to listen to and interact with Luke Gascho, who retired in 2019 after spending 22 years as the executive director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center. He currently runs a fruit, nut, and berry orchard and garden at his home, called Half-Moon Rising. He started his presentation by handing … Keep reading »

By Crystal Edson, senior environmental & marine science major and sustainability minor, and member of the Local Indigenous Cultures and Perspectives May Term course.  On May 3, our class traveled to the northwest side of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and had the honor of meeting Jared Nally (Ahsapa), of the Miami (Myaamia) Tribe of Oklahoma. He … Keep reading »

Fernando Daza shares about his experience exploring Chief Richardville House, a Historical Myaamia (Miami) treaty house in Fort Wayne, Indiana. On a surprisingly chilly May morning, our class boarded the iconic Goshen College bus at Camp Friedenswald, our home for the first two weeks of our class. We headed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to the … Keep reading »

By Rosemary Baer, sophomore art education major We started our second full day with a morning hike through a portion of the Dowagiac River Restoration Project. While on our expedition we learned about the River re-meandering, saw lots of native and invasive plants, and interacted with some woodland critters. Our hike was led by the … Keep reading »

We left Goshen College Wednesday afternoon and settled in at Camp Friedenswald, our new home and host for the first half of May Term. Our group of eight students and two leaders have already experienced anticipation and disappointment together before we even left campus, given the significant changes to our course. Our group was originally … Keep reading »