Quaint Native American Museum St. Ignace MI

Last November, mom my and I took a weekend getaway to St. Ignace, Michigan. We came across this cool little Native American store in the little town on Lake Michigan. We went in and enjoyed the culture and the merchandise which ranged from handcrafted Native American goods and a bit of the normal touristy stuff. After we purchased our finds we noticed that across the street there was a quaint Native American Museum. We went over to check it out but unfortunately, it was closed.

A few weeks ago, I was driving home from my dad’s cabin in Michigan and remember this little place. I was looking for a brief adventure on my gorgeous drive home (you should really drive the upper part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour sometime, you can thank me later) so I took a couple minute detour after I crossed the Mackinac bridge. This is where I lost two whole hours of my day, in the best way possible.

If you know me, you may know that I absolutely adore the Native American culture. I truly think this stems from my Grandpa Aichele. When my cousins and I were younger we would ride snowmobiles out into the middle of nowhere to Native American burial grounds, he would tell stories of who they were and what they did, sometimes he’d add in a “haunted” twist. We would pay respect to those lost, and have a snack before hitting the trails again. He is the best campfire storyteller and sometimes he would even put on a Native American headdress to really make things exciting. He displays beautiful Native artwork in their log cabin home and it really just gives you all the feels. I’m honestly not sure how much Native American blood we have in us, but the respect and appreciation my grandpa has for these people will stick with me for the rest of my life. And I am so grateful for that.

As I walked into this little museum I had no idea what to expect. I had already spent a half hour in the store across the street that has a small room history display but I was excited to finally get to see this museum. The setting was perfect in the old church looking building a stone's throw from Lake Michigan. When you first enter there is a retail area that has absolutely gorgeous handcrafted jewelry, dream catchers and other goods. Then the back of the building is the museum, there is a donation box at the entrance for anything you are able to contribute. It was way more modern than I expected. The displays were very well kept and visually appealing. They even had a rolling video in an area that feels like you are in a little hut.

There seemed to be two main topics focused on here. The first you come across the “The Ojibwa Seasonal Movement” which explains the seasons and what they do or believe for each season.

The second was titled “Unblocking the Silence, The Often Overlooked History of Native American Boarding Schools”. This peaked my interest instantly, because I have never heard of such a thing. As I began reading, I was heartbroken with each new sentence. I spent quite a while in there reading every word. They are so right, we need to unblock the silence of this topic. So many children were stripped of their culture, some even before they knew what it was. I’m so grateful that this little museum is spotlighting this topic.

After the solemn history lesson, the museum path took me outside. What a beautiful day it was! I wandered around the grounds a bit viewing many different statues and displays. They have a very large hut that seems like they may do Pow Wow events in, hopefully they will be able to bring that back next year. It was open for viewing so I went and admired the quiet space and admired the rustic dream catchers that were hanging from the ceiling. They had beautiful gardens set up as well. One I particularly enjoyed because it was an herb garden, which is kind of my jam. What I really like was that they had information on each plant with what it was and what it is traditionally used for. They also had some unique statues in the gardens as well! On the side of the building they have information of each of the clans and what their specific qualities are.

This museum was everything that I had hoped it would be and so much more. When I talk about magical moments, they don’t always have to be something big and wonderful. This moment for me was being able to spontaneously take a side journey and discovered this hidden jewel. It was standing in the middle of that hut feeling grateful, independent and at peace. This is the beauty of travel.

“May Peace Prevail on Earth”

Jenni Aichele

Wander In Magic Travel Company