Warrior Girl Unearthed

Content Warning: This section discusses anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism; the kidnapping and murder of Indigenous women; sexual abuse and “grooming” of underage people; and mistreatment of human remains.

“Since the museum tells our story from past to present, the final section is about how—today—we are a bridge between our ancestors and those still to come. Examples of contemporary art are next to older pieces to show the inspiration from previous generations.

The large room has recessed lights on their dimmest setting. Across the room, a single spotlight shines on a dozen black ash baskets on top of a display case across the room.”

Although past injustices continue to affect the Sugar Island Ojibwe Tribe, the strength of their ancestors and positive cultural practices and artifacts affect them too. Black ash baskets continue to remind Perry of the strength of her ancestors.

“‘My parents own the motel,’ Erik clarifies. ‘My mom and I are tribal members.’

I correct him. ‘Tribal citizens. Members belong to clubs. Citizens belong to nations.’

‘Tribal citizens,’ Erik repeats. ‘I like that.’”

While Erik knows little about the Sugar Island Ojibwe Tribe, Perry is well-educated in Indigenous knowledge and traditions. Her insistence that Tribe members be called “citizens” rather than “members” reinforces the idea of tribal sovereignty.

“Bones. A skull, or rather, a cranium. Long, sturdy leg bones alongside fragments of slender ones that might be from an arm. A thick, curved section that I realize is part of the spine. There are smaller, tissue-wrapped packets. I glimpse a few of the labels: TEETH and LEFT HAND and AFO. This was a person. I’ve seen and heard the term human remains at least a hundred times today. But it registers differently now. The remains of a human being who lived and breathed.”

Perry sees an ancestor for the first time, which highlights the theme of The Cultural Importance of Repatriation and makes it a reality. While Perry sees her ancestor as “a person,” Mackinac has such ancestors disarticulated and sorted into boxes and categories. The so-called “scientific” fascination that Perry sees people adopt toward her ancestors foreshadows the intensifying of that treatment by antagonists like Lockhart and Leer-wah.