The Tribe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jose Flores Appointed Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Odawa Casino

On behalf of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, I join Chuck Hoskin Jr., Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, in condemning the statement of Ann Coulter that “We didn’t kill enough Indians.”  This vile hate speech demeans and dehumanizes Native Americans. It glorifies America’s shameful legacy of genocide.

Her words are an attack on our dignity, our sovereignty, and our very existence. As Chief Hoskin Jr. observed, such “rhetoric has aided and abetted the destruction of tribes, their life ways, languages and cultures, the violation of treaty rights, violence, oppression, suppression and dispossession.”

Genocidal rhetoric was employed to justify the founding and funding of Indian boarding schools to destroy tribes’ life ways, languages, and cultures: “kill the Indian in him and save the man.” Today, we continue to live in the shadow of those boarding schools, both figuratively and physically—figuratively as we heal from the trauma and reclaim the language, culture, and ways that the schools forbid, and physically from a boarding school that operated down the road in Harbor Springs. Until the school discontinued the boarding school in 1983, it forced the Odawa and Indians from our sister tribes to reject their Indian identity while being exposed to abuse and maltreatment. Far too many young children perished on the school’s grounds, never to see their families again. They are among the sacred lives Ms. Coulter mocked.

Given her history as a conscienceless provocateur, it is tempting to dismiss Ann Coulter’s hate speech as the latest in a long line of cheap and odious pleas for publicity. But at a time when our communities work to heal, preserve, rebuild, and thrive despite generations of trauma, her insouciant cruelty seeks to cause real harm. I call on all Americans to reject her hate, boycott her appearances and products, and stand with Indigenous nations in promoting civility and mutual respect. I further ask that social media platforms hold purveyors of hate accountable by imposing and enforcing community standards that prohibit the celebration of genocide.

Like other Indian tribes, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians is a sovereign nation whose history and rich culture developed long before the founding of the United States. The Odawa people—my people—have endured and survived unrelenting attempts to erase us and are determined to flourish. We, and all tribal people, deserve to be treated with the dignity and respect owed to any nation. We are strong and resilient. We are still here. And we will always be here.

Statement of Regina Gasco, Tribal Chairperson of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
re Coulter Tweet

On behalf of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, I join Chuck Hoskin Jr., Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, in condemning the statement of Ann Coulter that “We didn’t kill enough Indians.”  This vile hate speech demeans and dehumanizes Native Americans. It glorifies America’s shameful legacy of genocide.

Her words are an attack on our dignity, our sovereignty, and our very existence. As Chief Hoskin Jr. observed, such “rhetoric has aided and abetted the destruction of tribes, their life ways, languages and cultures, the violation of treaty rights, violence, oppression, suppression and dispossession.”

Genocidal rhetoric was employed to justify the founding and funding of Indian boarding schools to destroy tribes’ life ways, languages, and cultures: “kill the Indian in him and save the man.” Today, we continue to live in the shadow of those boarding schools, both figuratively and physically—figuratively as we heal from the trauma and reclaim the language, culture, and ways that the schools forbid, and physically from a boarding school that operated down the road in Harbor Springs. Until the school discontinued the boarding school in 1983, it forced the Odawa and Indians from our sister tribes to reject their Indian identity while being exposed to abuse and maltreatment. Far too many young children perished on the school’s grounds, never to see their families again. They are among the sacred lives Ms. Coulter mocked.

Given her history as a conscienceless provocateur, it is tempting to dismiss Ann Coulter’s hate speech as the latest in a long line of cheap and odious pleas for publicity. But at a time when our communities work to heal, preserve, rebuild, and thrive despite generations of trauma, her insouciant cruelty seeks to cause real harm. I call on all Americans to reject her hate, boycott her appearances and products, and stand with Indigenous nations in promoting civility and mutual respect. I further ask that social media platforms hold purveyors of hate accountable by imposing and enforcing community standards that prohibit the celebration of genocide.

Like other Indian tribes, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians is a sovereign nation whose history and rich culture developed long before the founding of the United States. The Odawa people—my people—have endured and survived unrelenting attempts to erase us and are determined to flourish. We, and all tribal people, deserve to be treated with the dignity and respect owed to any nation. We are strong and resilient. We are still here. And we will always be here.

Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP)

Boozhoo Everyone!

The Environmental Services Program Staff would like to invite the tribal community to participate in our extended commenting period on the proposed Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) for LTBB. Catalyst Partners and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB) have partnered to create a report that meshes goals of LTBB’s Climate Emergency Action Plan Resolution with an implementable plan for the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. We want to hear all views on this report to include the concerns of the tribal public, but to do that we need you. Note that this document will be continually modified as we receive new information about upcoming projects. With this in mind, the final draft will include updates related to the Murray road projects. If you have any projects planned let us know so that we can include it in future planning documents.

Please feel free to review this document at your own pace and fill out the CCAP Comment Form with any feedback you’d like to provide.

ESP Staff will be accepting comments through Friday August 1st, 2025. Miigwech to you all for taking the time to share your thoughts and have a great day!