Indigenous Peoples’ Day is officially observed on Monday, Oct. 13, but the Grand Rapids Public Museum is keeping the celebration going all week. Through two special events, the museum invites the community to experience the language, artistry, and living traditions of the Anishinaabek people — the Indigenous peoples of this region.
Located at 272 Pearl St. NW, the GRPM holds more than 250,000 artifacts that tell the stories of Grand Rapids and beyond. Visitors can explore three floors of exhibits, the region’s only planetarium, and a range of educational programs — as well as The Mounds, a National Historic Landmark under the museum’s care.
This year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Week at the GRPM includes two key Grand Rapids Indigenous events: Anishinaabe Culture Day on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and the Anishinaabe Art and Film Series on Saturday, Oct. 18. Both celebrate Anishinaabe culture through art, storytelling, and community connection.
For the Native community, every day is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, said Katrina Furman, GRPM’s Anishinaabe curator. Traditions continue to be shared through food, art, language, and cultural teachings. The stories passed down by elders are the same ones grandchildren will tell.
Even as the museum’s long-standing Anishinabek: The People of This Place exhibit undergoes a major update, visitors can still immerse themselves in Anishinaabe history and creativity. Three new murals by Anishinaabek artists explore the Creation Story, modern Indigenous life, and the Seven Grandfather Teachings. A large-scale projection map on the third floor traces the transformation of early Tribal trails into today’s highways — showing historical territories, deforestation, and current Tribal headquarters across Michigan.
Anishinaabe Culture Day — Wednesday, Oct. 15
Anishinaabe Culture Day offers hands-on ways to learn about Indigenous culture and traditions. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., guests can enjoy drumming and dance performances, storytelling, pottery and basket-weaving workshops, and corn husk doll-making. A scavenger hunt across the museum’s three floors encourages visitors to discover more about Anishinaabe history and resilience.
While some activities are reserved for school groups, the public is welcome to explore vendor tables and cultural demonstrations in the museum’s Galleria. The Curiosity Shop will also feature art, jewelry, baskets, books, and more by Native artists and writers.
Anishinaabe Culture Day is presented with support from Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Downtown.
Anishinaabe Art and Film Series — Saturday, Oct. 18
The week’s celebration concludes with the Anishinaabe Art and Film Series, a daylong showcase of film, art, and conversation exploring Indigenous identity, language, and the environment. Admission is $2 with a museum ticket and includes access to the following programs:
11 a.m. – Roundtable discussion with muralists Jamie John, Justin Johnson, and Brittany Benson, moderated by curator Katrina Furman.
Noon – Screening of Bodewadmi Ndaw, a documentary by Davis Henderson, followed by a Q&A.
2 p.m. – Screening of Nme’ (Lake Sturgeon).
2:45 p.m. – Screening of Mahnoomin: The Food That Grows on the Water.
3:15 p.m. – Screening of The Beguiling by Ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby (recommended for ages 16+), followed by a virtual Q&A.
Featured Filmmakers
Davis Henderson, a citizen of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe) and Kalamazoo native, directs Bodewadmi Ndaw, a documentary chronicling his tribe’s efforts — alongside the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi — to revitalize their endangered language, Bodwéwadmimwen. The word Bodewadmi means “those who maintain the hearth-fire” or “Fire Keepers,” a name that resonates across Michigan.
Ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby, an enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, is an acclaimed filmmaker and former Sundance Institute fellow. Raised in Grand Rapids, McSauby earned an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His work has screened at major festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival and SXSW, as well as in Tribal communities across North America. His latest short, The Beguiling, follows a budding romance between two Indigenous people that takes an unexpected, thrilling turn.
Tickets and more information are available at grpm.org.
Suggested Reading
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Boulley’s bestselling novel follows Daunis Fontaine, an Ojibwe teen drawn into an FBI investigation after witnessing a murder. Blending suspense, Native identity, and emotional depth, Firekeeper’s Daughter highlights the strength of community and the resilience of a young woman finding her voice — a fitting companion for Indigenous Peoples’ Week in Grand Rapids.
