Support local Native American & Indigenous Peoples in Detroit, Metro Detroit, and the state of Michigan by being mindful every day of the culture they work hard to keep alive and in it’s natural, owned form. Detroit occupies the contemporary and ancestral homelands of three Anishinaabe nations of the Council of Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi.
As urban city life grows, so does the conversation of decolonization and “re-Indigenizing”. Whatever term you want to call the domination of foreign territories, it helps to continually honor Indigenous ancestry and be proud of where you came from. Diversify your dollar and create a weapon of love with it. Do further research to find Indigenous & Native-owned shops in Metro Detroit as well as throughout the USA. Whether you’re Native American student, an ally, or an Indigenous resident that just moved to Detroit, there are organizations that are meant to build a strong foundation.
Detroitisit rounded up a list of a variety of communal spots/foundations to support Detroit’s Native American and Indigenous community population that invites you to extend the support. Keep the knowledge flowing throughout Metro Detroit and our Great Lakes state as a whole. Celebrate Detroit’s Indigenous culture every day!
SALTED MAPLE LATTE SALES HELP DONATE TO NATIFS FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY ’24, PHOTO @FOLKDETROIT ON INSTAGRAM
FOLK DETROIT
Detroit’s Native American & Indigenous guide is here to highlight Detroit’s diverse culinary scene, along with the support of food culture expansion. Folk Detroit is a James Beard Award-nominated café with an Aussie-Style Daytime feel. It’s become a local community hub with its first location in the historic Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. Again, this business is not Native-owned, but it’s worth checking out. Their retail shop offers products from minority-owned, local, and sustainably-minded brands. FOLK Detroit is known to regularly support, publicly acknowledge, and pay respects to Native American and Indigenous communities/Native-owned businesses in the homelands of Michigan. For locally-sourced, seasonally-inspired goodness, click HERE to view their website.
Location: 60 Cadillac Square, Detroit
2025 VIBES WITH THE TRIBES MUSIC + CULTURAL FESTIVAL, PHOTO @VIBESWITHTHETRIBES ON INSTAGRAM
VIBES WITH THE TRIBES
Indigenous nations have found home in Michigan over the course of their historic storytelling. Music is its own storytelling as well as a staple of the cultural expression that native tribes hold dear. Detroit’s Native American & Indigenous guide wouldn’t be a guide without music! Participate in Michigan’s First Native American Music & Cultural Festival. Raymond “SouFy” Pelletier (Cape Croker Ojibwe/Sagamok Anishinaabe) and Hadassah GreenSky (Little Traverse Bay Bands Odawa/Fond Du Lac Ojibwe) are both multifaceted artists and the co-founders of Vibes With The Tribes. This annual Native American music and cultural festival launched virtually in 2020 and returned on June 1, 2024, in Detroit. Follow the event’s Instagram page (@vibeswiththetribes) to stay updated.
SAVE THE DATE for Saturday June 7th, 2025 as the next festival returns to Detroit at The Russell Industrial Center (Location: 1600 Clay Street)
GET TO KNOW ROSA MARIA ZAMARRON
Rosa María Zamarrón currently lives and works in Detroit. She is a Documentary Photographer from Southwest Detroit. Rosa María is Cofounder of La Sirena Studio (8869 Avis St., Detroit), which is a collaborative female lead studio in Southwest Detroit that provides studio space in the community. Widely featured throughout local publications, Click HERE to view her online gallery and keep up with her latest work. Detroit’s Native American and Indigenous guide always has room for expansion! Get to know more people that are sharing the traditional ways of living with the earth through a modern lens.
TURQUOISE FRIDAY INITIATIVE, PHOTO @ELDERADOGENERALSTORE ON INSTAGRAM
ELDORADO GENERAL STORE
Detroitisit’s Native American and Indigenous guide encourages everyone to shop directly from Native American and Indigenous-owned businesses in Detroit/Metro Detroit when possible, especially if there’s a small entrepreneur making things with love by hand. Spread the news! Let it be distinctly known that Detroit’s own Eldorado General Store in Corktown is NOT Native-owned. However, this couple-owned shop of diverse, geographic finds is making efforts to showcase Native American jewelry from New Mexico and combat the clash of giving season & mass consumption with Turquoise Friday. Turquoise Friday was created as the store’s annual fundraiser initiative for First Nations Development Institute during the holiday season for Black Friday and Thanksgiving alternatives. Click HERE to view their online shop and visit them in-person.
Location: Corktown, 1700 Michigan Ave. Detroit
“EVERYTHING WE’VE EVER BEEN, WE ARE RIGHT NOW” BY NICHOLAS GALANIN, PHOTO @DIADETROIT ON INSTAGRAM
EXPAND YOUR INDIGENOUS CULTURAL HORIZONS AT THE DIA
Friendly reminder to buy art & clothing directly from local artisans whenever possible, especially when it comes to minority-owned businesses like Detroit’s Native American & Indigenous community. Enrich yourself in Native American culture by experiencing an insightful timeline displayed at the Detroit Institute of Arts! Keep up with the museum’s events & exhibitions for Native American artwork as well as other creatively touching collections of Indigenous cultures. Currently run by the NAIA staff, stop in to check out the Native Hands Gallery for a wonderful showcase of local Artisans and Crafters through their consignment program. Click HERE to view the Native Hands Gallery-NAIA Detroit page for more information and click HERE to view the Detroit Institute of Arts website.
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