Detroit Council approves deed transfer of Fort Wayne burial mound to Potawatomi tribe

Detroit City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution transferring ownership and ceremonial easements for the Fort Wayne burial mound to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.

The transfer gives the tribe control of the site long held as a sacred burial place. Tribal leaders who traveled to or called into the meeting called the deed transfer a step toward correcting historical injustices and vowed to protect the mound.

Tribal Chairwoman Dory Rios, identifying herself as the tribal chairwoman for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, told the council the transfer is “a necessary step toward correcting a historical injustice” and described it as “what a government to government relationship should look like.” Councilmember Colman Young II moved to approve the resolution. City staff confirmed the property is about five acres and that the transfer will allow tribal ceremonial use and long‑term preservation under tribal stewardship.

Crystal Perkins, director of the General Services Department, said the action is a land transfer for a burial mound and that “there will be opportunities for them to hold ceremonial rituals there, according to their customs.” Councilmembers who spoke during the item framed the vote as a rare instance where a local action returns a culturally significant site to a tribal nation.

The resolution was approved after a procedural motion and with a waiver attached; the clerk recorded no separate roll call vote on the transfer. Councilmember Young moved the approval on the floor and the council took the action without recorded dissent.

Tribal speakers at the meeting included Dory Rios and other tribal representatives who described prior consultation and repatriation work and presented the council with a tribal flag. Several council members offered public expressions of gratitude and support before taking the vote.

The council took up the transfer promptly after public comment on related items and attached a waiver before approving the deed transfer. The city’s General Services Department will proceed with the administrative steps required to complete the conveyance and the tribe has the expressed intent to preserve and manage the site for ceremonial and cultural purposes.

The transfer marks a local government action to return a culturally significant parcel to a tribal nation and will be followed by administrative steps to finalize the deed and easements.

Ending note: City staff said the site is roughly five acres and that the tribe will have easement rights for ceremonial use; the council did not attach a schedule for implementation during the public meeting.