The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians has become the third tribal nation in the United State to pass a marriage–equality statute. The Michigan-based tribe will now perform same-sex weddings and recognize those performed elsewhere.
A similar measure failed last July by a single vote. The tribe now joins the Coquille of Southern Oregon and the Suquamish of Washington State.
“We have our own constitution, our own court system, and our own government, police force [and], Department of Natural Resources, so it’s our right to express equality,” said former Odawa Council Chairman Ken Harrington. “In my mind, we’re all equal in our creator’s eye.”
A tribal LGBT equality toolkit released by Indigenous Ways of Knowing in 2012 is geared toward helping Native communities enact inclusive laws and practices.
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MuscleModelBlog.com
Awesome! Maybe other tribes will follow their lead.
Charles175
Glad to see that some native American tribes are bringing back a hint of the ancient ways prior to to the invasive European changes.
2eo
@Charles175: To be fair, we kicked them out of Europe because they didn’t like changes here.
Harley
I bet the log cabin repugnant-clans will take full credit.
Ken
I once talked to a Native American who said he hated Europeans because they stole his tribe’s land, culture, religion, and language. So when he was stationed with the military in Europe, he never left the base. I told him that it had been a stupid thing to do. He looked at my angrily and demanded to know why I said that. I said, “Those were the nice Europeans who stayed home and left your people alone.” After a pause he said, “Oh no, I wasted all that time!”
kenarddillon
I hope that my native Navajo Nation follows suit!