Indigenous Oakland County

Stories and legends relating to Indigenous people in what is now Oakland County have swirled about in our communities since the settler period. Partial truths and cultural unfamiliarity have often led to misunderstanding of our area's Native American past as well as that of contemporary Indigenous cultures. In many cases, what has been left behind bears little resemblance to the historical reality of this area's Native American peoples but primary source documents and accounts do exist and this lecture will help distinguish between fact and fiction. Did Odawa leader Pontiac retire to Orchard Lake's Apple Island? Were there armed hostilities between local Indigenous groups and White settlers? Join Dr. Catherine Cangany for an exploration of stories, oral histories, myths and primary sources about the Anishinaabeg, Wendat and other Indigenous groups living in what is now Oakland County before 1830. Catherine Cangany holds a PhD in early American history from the University of Michigan. Before returning to public history, she was a tenured associate professor of history at the University of Notre Dame. Currently, she is CEO of Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. DK