Oakland County Executive Honored By Native Community

Waterford, MI -- December 3, 2008 -- Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson was honored for his support of the local Native American Community.

A special presentation was made during a ceremony on Nov. 19 by members of South Eastern Michigan Indians, Inc. (SEMII) and the Native American Veterans Association of South Eastern Michigan, Inc. (NAVASEMII). Presenters included Sue Franklin, Director of SEMII, (Sault Saint Marie Tribe of Chippewa), Brian Moore, Assistant Director of SEMII, (Seneca -- Ojibwe), Michael Bugaj, Vice President of NAVASEMII (Little Traverse Bay Band Odawa) and Chris Franklin, Secretary of NAVASEMII (Oneida).

Patterson was given the Pendleton blanket of "Freedom," which was placed around his shoulders by the two NAVASEMII representatives as an Honor Song was performed by Brian Moore on his hand drum.

"Receiving a Pendleton blanket from the Native Community is the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor," Franklin said.

Franklin provided a presentation on the history of the "Wewene Mawjeshnok" or "They Are Gathering in a Good Way" Powwow, an annual event which occurs at the end of "Oakland County Indian Week," as proclaimed by Patterson. This powwow is a group effort put on by SEMII, NAVASEMII, Oakland County and Oakland County Parks. The 2008 event was canceled because of bad weather.

Franklin thanked Patterson, Oakland County and Oakland County Parks for their support. She explained that as Native tradition would have it -- it is customary to reciprocate when a gift has been presented. At last year's powwow, over 50 tribal elders were presented with full size color copies of "Oakland County's Native Americans," an educational map product produced through the county's Planning & Economic Development Services.

On Nov. 12, Pecky Lewis, chairman of the Oakland County Parks Commission and Dan Stencil, CEO of Oakland County Parks, were honored with Pendleton blankets. The Third Annual "Wewene Mawjeshnok" Powwow is planned for Sept. 12-13, 2009, at an Oakland County Park to be determined.

The "Oakland County's Native Americans" map is available to the public for $20 in the Oakland County One Stop Shop in the Oakland County Executive Office Building, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Building 41 West, in Waterford or online at http://www.oakgov.com/oss/products_services/OCNativeAmericans.html. For more information, contact the One Stop Shop at (248) 858-0720 or visit www.oakgov.com/oss.