The flag of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa flying next to the American flag in Rock Harbor. NPS / Bridget Byrne
The flag of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has been raised above Rock Harbor at Isle Royale National Park and will serve as a permanent fixture on the northeastern end of Isle Royale. The Band’s flag has flown in Washington Harbor since 2021, where it was first raised within the national park after a formal request from the Band.
Flying the official flag of the Band, as a sovereign nation, honors the connection between Isle Royale and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. In 2019, Isle Royale was designated as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) of the Band, due to the longstanding traditional use of the island and the unique relationship between Grand Portage Band, tribal citizens, and Isle Royale both past and present.
“It is a daily visual interaction for visitors when they encounter our flag, that for us represents the many interconnections we have to Minong, a physical presence, use of natural resources, spiritual connections to this significant place. In-debendaagozimin Minong – We belong on Minong. This journey across the lake to bring our flag to Minong is a homecoming for Gichi Onigaming Anishinaabeg, it will be long remembered and celebrated among our elders and youth,” said the Band's secretary/treasurer, April McCormick, “In 2011, the Band brought on Isle Royale through a Self-Governance Agreement where we’ve carried funding for many NPS projects extended and executed by the national park to the benefit of the park and visitor experience.”
Isle Royale, also known as Minong (meaning “the Good Place” in Ojibwe), is part of the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe peoples who have cared for these lands since time immemorial. Isle Royale National Park staff continue to work in collaboration with the Band to ensure their connections are told accurately and sensitively to visitors of Minong.
“The Band’s ties to Isle Royale and Lake Superior are not just historical — they’re ongoing. The raising of this flag in Rock Harbor affirms what has always been evident – the Grand Portage Ojibwe’s position on Minong is perpetual,” said Denice Swanke, Isle Royale National Park Superintendent.
The flag was raised on June 12 to an Honor Song and Flag Song sung by the Stone Bridge Singers (traditional Anishinaabe drum group from Grand Portage). The Gichi Onigaming flag was raised by Grand Portage Band member and Vietnam veteran, Duane ‘Butch’ Deschampe.
To celebrate the occasion, a feast featuring traditional foods, including blueberry bannock and fresh Lake Superior fish, was provided after the flag raising ceremony by the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation and Aramark Destinations/Rock Harbor Lodge.
