Source: KOLA Remains of two Ottawa Indians, that were unearthed for construction, given new resting place in township cemetery By Pat Shellenbarger The Grand Rapids Press July 15, 2000 ADA TOWNSHIP -- Their names are unknown, but two of Ada's early residents, disturbed from their graves decades ago, will be reburied next weekend on a hillside overlooking their former village on the Grand River. A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. July 23, at the Ada Township Cemetery near where the two -- both believed to be Ottawa Indians -- were unearthed in the 1940s and 1950s. The Ada Township Board voted to donate four lots in the cemetery to the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians to rebury those remains and any others that come back to the tribe in the future. "The cemetery lots are for residents," said Township Clerk Deborah Ensing Millhuff. "It only makes sense to me that the original residents should be able to be buried in the cemetery." Normally the four contiguous lots, totaling 24-by-32 feet, would sell for $200 each, but the Township Board voted to donate them after learning the tribe was looking for a piece of land near the former Indian village to rebury the remains. The village site apparently was occupied many times, perhaps as early as the 1st century A.D., and as recently as the early 19th century. It is near where Rix Robinson, the first white man to settle in Kent County, opened his fur-trading post in 1821. One set of remains, about 40 percent complete, is believed to be an Indian woman who died between the ages 45 and 60. Those bones were dug up in the 1950s where the Amway plant now stands and were kept by a woman in Ada for many years. The second set -- including vertebrae, a jaw, teeth and ribs -- were found at the same site in the late 1940s by an Indian man, who placed them in a cigar box and kept them in his attic near Howard City. Both sets were turned over to the Grand River band several months ago. In the 1950s, the remains of other Indians apparently were removed from the site, once known as the Thornapple Forks Village, nestled in the confluence of the Grand and Thornapple rivers. Some went to museums, some into private collections. Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands of Ottawas, said he expects more remains will be turned over and buried in the Ada cemetery. "I know there are others out there that are on their way back," he said, estimating that perhaps a dozen eventually may be buried on the four lots. A 1990 federal law -- the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act -- requires any agency that receives federal money, such as a museum or university, to turn over Indian remains to the appropriate tribe. Most Michigan tribes signed a statement agreeing any remains must be reburied as close as possible to where they were dug up. That's why Yob drove out to Ada some months ago looking for an appropriate burial ground near the bygone Indian village. The tribe, which has applied for, but not yet received federal recognition, had no land of its own and no money to buy any. The township cemetery, on a hillside on Grand River Drive west of Fulton Street, happened to have a view of the former village. "This is perfect," Yob said, standing in the cemetery. "It's like all the pieces of the puzzle were there, and we put it all together." Yob built two small cedar boxes to hold the remains. A tribal elder will be asked to speak at the reburial service. The service will include a traditional tobacco offering and a burning of sage, Yob said. Afterward, the tribe will host a potluck feast across the Grand River in Chief Hazy Cloud Park, named for a former Ottawa chief. "We've never done this before," Yob said. "The only thing we can do is whatever we think is respectful." The reburial, which Yob called a "memorial service," will be open to everyone.