Carolyn Williams and Andy Parker recently did some exploring in the Baraga/L'Anse area, with one of their stops being the Pinery Indian Cemetery in L'Anse. What an interesting burial ground this is, with history dating back as far as anyone can remember, according to the information board in the last photo.

Since the print is small in the photo, I'm going to type out what the sign says, so you'll get the history of this cemetery from the source. Here goes:

As far as anyone can remember, this burial ground has been here. We know that the Chippewa Nation was casting their nets in Keweenaw Bay in the 1600's. In our cultural tradition the circle is sacred. Some of the gravestones that are marked date back to the 1840's. These graves have the later stone grave marker.

Our ancient ancestors told the stories of how we are born in the East and enter the Spirit world at the west. At the time of death the deceased would be dressed in their finest clothing and the body removed from the wigwam or house from a westerly window. In the winter the body was placed on a scaffold or they were hung in a bag in the trees. Words were spoken in honor of the beloved. The bones were later collected and each year the Chippewa would travel and meet other bands for a feast of the dead. There these bones were buried in a communal ground. Spirit houses were put over the grave of the individual. The spirit houses were first built of birch bark, elm or cedar bark. Later they were built of lumber to provide a place to leave food and other necessary items such as arrows, bow, fishing equipment, beads, etc. to aid the deceased on his four day journey to the spirit world. Once a year some of the Chippewa people still celebrate the feast of the dead. They gather for a feast and honor their ancestors. Picnics even in recent years were held at this cemetery in memory of old customs. May our ancient ones rest well here on this sacred ground.

Love this old cemetery and the respect it shows for those buried there!

Interesting history and traditions.

Greetings:

Hopefully the Pinery cemetery and land is protected from developers, corporations and real estate crooks.

All to often "we" lose a piece of history because "we" forget to secure the property forever in perpetuallity.

JT

I have some interesting shots of this cemetery in my pastycam guest gallery ("Marsha"). In May of 2009 there was a forest fire there, that skirted perfectly along the driveway around the cemetery, never crossing the road! I have pics of the results of that fire in my album called Pinery Cemetery. Just click on the link below:

Marsha's Pinery Indian Cemetery Album

Very interesting cemetery. When I was involved in
my family genealogy research I really enjoyed
onsite cemetery research.

There has been a recent post on the official Isle Royale Wolf/Moose study website that may be of interest. Some Michigan Tech students have used the historical data of Isle Royale wolf and moose populations and the climate records of temperature and precipitation levels to "compose" or create some musical patterns (sonification they call it). Personally don't quite "get it" even though I think my scientific side and artistic side are fairly well developed. Maybe I need a better connection between the left and right sides of my brain.

Nevertheless it sounds pretty cool. It seems to only be compatible with Chrome, Firefox and Opera web browsers. Check it out:
Sonification of Isle Royale Data

Rest in Peace.

Mary, Carolyn, & Andy.

Thank you very much for sharing this with all of us.

The Chippewa traditions remind me very much of the Philippines. My wife recently returned from her native country, where she attended services for our nephew, and then stayed to join her brothers & sisters for All Souls Day, which is November 1.

When someone passes away in the Philippines, family members and friends take part for several days in a 24 hour vigil with the deceased loved one. Each person joins the vigil as he or she can, and family members often take turns for sleep and meals.

Following the funeral services and burial, people believe that rather than mourning the death of a loved one, they should celebrate their life instead. So it is a tradition that after every funeral, they have a fiesta in celebration of that person’s life. Friends, relatives, and townspeople all join together to share food, songs, and happy memories of the departed one's life.

On All Souls Day family members gather at the cemetery where their loved ones are buried, where they light candles, say prayers, and show respect for those who have gone before.

At home, they prepare their loved ones' favorite foods, which are placed on a table in the home for 24 hours, together with candles and religious items such as crosses, pictures of Jesus, and rosary beads. Family members say lengthy prayers for their loved ones while kneeling in front of the offerings.

While it could be said that the Chippewa and Filipino cultures are markedly different from each other, perhaps their similarities evoke a common humanity amongst all peoples of this earth.

Cemeteries are always a favorite place to visit.