How to Think About the Origins of Indian Removal Politics From a Great Lakes Perspective

Living with Treaties: The 1817 Project, the University of Michigan, and the Western Expansion of the United States Conference Session 5: How to Think About the Origins of Indian Removal Politics From a Great Lakes Perspective This panel highlights how two Michigan Anishinaabe communities, the Pokagon Band of Boodewaadamii and the Burt Lake Band of Odawa and Ojibwe Indians, had different experiences with removal and federal recognition, shaping their distinct paths and histories. It combines historical analysis of the development of various nineteenth-century land companies and land transfer schemes with presentations by community representatives who can discuss the resistance of their communities to Indian Removal, as well as how they have fought or are still fighting to have their sovereignty and territory recognized by the federal government. This panel discusses the shifting understandings and contexts of Indian Removal, focusing on examples from Michigan and the broader Great Lakes Basin, such as encroachment from settler colonists, forced migration by military forces, and Indian Boarding schools, that illuminate nationally significant aspects of Indian Removal policy. Speakers: Wenona T. Singel, Blaire Morseau-Topache Moderator: Michael Witgen April 11, 2026 Forum Hall, Palmer Commons