Company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters was made up of 139 Odawa, Ojibway, and Potwatomi soldiers. They fought in pivotal battles at the end of the American Civil War while their respective tribal communities were engaged in battles of their own with the United States. In this talk, Eric Hemenway will explore the complexity of Indian country during the time, the struggles of Michigan’s Anishnaabek and ask the question “why fight for the United States?”

Eric Hemenway is an Anishnaabe/Odawa from Cross Village, Michigan. His work centers on bringing Anishnaabe/Odawa history to the public and advancing Anishnaabek rights. For 20 years Eric worked for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Archives. While at LTBB, Eric worked on exhibits, signage, curriculum, public programs, litigation and extensive work under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Eric’s partners include the National Park Service, the State of Michigan, Harvard University, Yale University, and numerous local schools in Northern Michigan. Eric received his honorary doctorate from Oakland University and has received numerous awards for his work on integrating indigenous history into public spaces. He is currently the humanities manager for the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. In this role, Eric looks to include more humanities into the environmental justice movement through sharing the history of Michigan’s first people, the Anishnaabek.

This lecture is in conjunction with the exhibition “Fill the Ranks”: the University of Michigan and the Civil War, on display at the Frankel Detroit Observatory September 24, 2026-July 2, 2027. This program is presented with support from the University of Michigan’s U.S. at 250 initiative and the Inclusive History Project.