Celebration of 230th Anniversary of St. Ann Island Treaty planned
By Barb Pert Templeton
Members of the Algonac City Council has unanimously approved a special event permit for Walpole Island First Nation to mark their 230th Anniversary of the St. Ann Island Treaty Signing.
During a recent report to the city council City Manager Artie Bryson shared the upcoming event with officials.
“Our friends from Walpole Island are having an event in Algonac, so that’s a pleasant surprise,” Bryson said, during a mid-July council meeting.
The event is set for Sunday, Aug. 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Riverfront Park utilizing the Veteran’s Memorial and gazebo areas.
Bryson told the council that he did a little investigation on this and it’s actually about the fundamental agreement between the British Crown and the Walpole Island First Nation. The island nation signed a treaty with Britan and some eight years later the British Crown denied it existed.
In a promotional video for the upcoming special event to mark the 230h Anniversary of the St. Ann Island Treaty it noted that the first 500 members to attend will get a treaty card signed by the chief.
“It was a very contentious thing but it’s important to them,” Bryson added.
In a memo in the meeting packet Bryson said the treaty, which dates to 1796, reaffirmed the mobility provisions established in the 1794 Jay Treaty, recognizing them and the inherit right to freely cross the river.
The treaty and the council-fire discussions surrounding it share an important part of the island’s history and the shared history of the St. Clair River region.
The group’s request for the upcoming event is to gather near the monument in the park where they will honor the historical alliance with the U.S. They will also celebrate their veterans and the living relationship that has connected American Indian communities across the water for generations.
The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. and the commemorative services and traditional drumming presentation will last approximately two hours.
The delegation will arrive by ferry as pedestrians; therefore, no parking accommodations are needed and no large items such as tents or tables will be used.
The permit application has been received and approved by Algonac’s administration. In addition, the safety and security plan has been approved by the St. Clair County Sheriff.
“I love this and that we can celebrate our common borders with them, it’s really worth celebrating,” Bryson said, noting the city has been invited to participate in the celebration. “I’m looking forward to welcoming our neighbors from Walpole Island to Algonac.”
The agenda for the special event is as follows:
12:00 pm – Assemble at ferry (limited bagged lunch available)
*Lunch is first come, first serve
*Parking available at the Baseball Diamond
*Ferry fare is covered
12:30 pm – Depart from Bkejwanong
1:20 pm – Opening Prayer in Anishinaabemowin
by Waabigonii Altiman at the Algonac Veterans Monument
1:25 pm – Honour songs & Flag Songs
(Anishinaabe Nation – Invited Drum)
1:35 pm – Pipe Ceremony lead by Darren Wrightman
1:50 pm – Chief and Council, Elders and
Knowledge Keepers closing remarks
2:00 pm – Invited guest’s address to the audience
2:20 pm – Depart Algonac
4:00 pm – St. Anne’s Island Treaty Presentation
by Ramsey Kicknosway (Arena)
5:00 pm – Community B.B.Q. Feast (Arena)
9:00 pm – Fireworks (High Banks)
