(WBBM NEWSRADIO) --A dedication ceremony was held at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center for an Indigenous Cultural Trail, an interactive experience for hikers that acknowledges thousands of years of Native American history in the area.
This project is a collaboration between the National Park Service, Indiana Dunes Tourism, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.
Christine Livingston, the project lead and Vice President of Indiana Dunes Tourism, said there’s a gap in the Indigenous story being told in the region.
“This is one of the things that came out when we started working collectively with both tribes is, you know, there’s an Indigenous story that needs to be told here, but one of things that one of the tribal members said to me, and it was really poignant and it really stuck with me, is the story of clean water is really all of our story," she added.
Livingston said that it's not just and indigenous story, but a story about humanity.
"What resonated with me is that we’re not just talking about history here. Tribal members are still here, Indigenous peoples are still here, their voices are still affecting things and we want to make sure that people understand this is not just about history, what happened a long time ago, this is about what’s happening now.”
The trail, in the works for five years, is still a work in progress.
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