Land Acknowledgment

Marquette County is located on Anishinaabe Akiing, the ancestral and present-day homelands of the Anishinaabe Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibway, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations. Gichi-namebini Ziibing (Marquette) has been cared for by the Anishinaabeg for generations. While the land was ceded to the United States through the Treaties of 1842 and 1836, the Anishinaabeg retained the rights to hunt, fish, gather, and live on the land, continuing their practices based on deep knowledge and respect for the land.

However, the loss of ancestral homelands has perpetuated colonial violence, particularly against Anishinaabekwe (Anishinaabe women). The epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) stems from the breakdown of Indigenous social structures caused by policies like the Indian Civilization Fund Act of 1819 and the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The League of Women Voters of Marquette County remains committed to advocating for the rights of women, girls, and relatives, as outlined in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), through education, awareness, and advocacy.

For more information on MMIWR, please visit the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center’s website at niwrc.org.