Master Naturalist Students Learning About the Myaamia

Part of being a naturalist is to not separate humans from nature. Rather, it is important to make the connections of how human behavior is shaped by its environment and how that environment is shaped by humans. As we struggle to find solutions to climate change there is a growing appreciation of how indigenous peoples around the world have managed their traditional lands. All of this is true of northeast Indiana. 

Fort Wayne Indiana includes what was a significant Myaamia (Miami) village of Kekionga. The Myaamia Tribe of Indiana is active in the area. Chief Little Turtle is remembered. The last great chief and one of the wealthiest men in Indiana during his day, Chief Richardville is honored. His home is a site of cultural gatherings and historical tours. The Shawnee also had influence in the area. Chief Blue Jacket’s memory was recently honored with a dedication of a statue of him. Extended members of his family attended the dedication. Near to that site is Tall Rabbit coffee house. This is also named after Blue Jacket; Tall Rabbit was one of his nicknames. Downtown Fort Wayne is the site of the Battle of the Pumpkin Fields. Finally, east of the city is the traditional land of the Potawatomi. Potawatomi Chief Metea is remembered by having a county park named after him and the trails were given Pottawatomi names. The park is also the home of a Potawatomi cultural camp during the summer. 
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It was at Metea County Park that the Allen County Indiana Master Naturalist class had a course that focused on historical and cultural interpretation. This is a process that helps the naturalist assist visitors and participants in making sense of what they are seeing and learning. It helps people put information into context and helps them ask questions and make hypothesis. An example of this process was the presentation by Greta Sirois. Greta is a teacher, naturalist, and a member of the Myaamia. Her focus was to help the Master Naturalist students learn about how the Miami culture and way of life was influenced by nature. She presented the Myaami Calander. She showed Myaamia artifacts, she dressed in traditional clothes. This helped the students put the land they were on in historical and current perspective. Since there are very few places that have not been touched by human activity the process of interpretation is a useful tool to help naturalists engage visitors and make the story of the land, past and present, come alive. 
  
 
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