Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Fly Flag over Rock Harbor

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa raises its flag over Rock Harbor. Last month the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa held a flag-raising ceremony on Isle Royale, installing the tribe’s official flag over Rock Harbor as a permanent fixture. The Tribe has a second flag in the park, the first was placed in Washington Harbor in 2021. The new flag’s placement recognizes and honors the Grand Portage Band’s connection to Isle Royale. In 2019 the island was designated a Traditional Cultural Property by the tribe.

Grand Portage Secretary and Treasurer April McCormick says that when visitors see the tribe’s flag while on the island it reminds them of the Anishinaabe’s presence on Minong and the unique relationship tribal nations have to the land’s resources and spiritual presence. Minong, or the Good Place, is the traditional name given to Isle Royale as a part of Anishinaabe ancestral lands. Isle Royale National Park staff continue to work in collaboration with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to catalog the island’s cultural significance. Those interested in learning more about the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa flag raising on Isle Royale can find more details here.