Native American Heritage Fund
The Native American Heritage Fund (NAHF) was established in 2016 as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Gaming Compact between the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) and the State of Michigan. The amendment allowed for a portion of NHBP’s annual state revenue sharing payment to be deposited into the NAHF.
The fund serves to promote positive relationships between public and private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, local units of government and Michigan’s federally recognized Native American Tribes. The NAHF provides resources to help improve curricula and educational resources related to Michigan Indian history, as well as to replace or revise mascots and imagery that may be deemed as offensive to or inaccurately conveying the culture and values of Native Americans.
The NAHF logo was created with a specific purpose of unifying Michigan Native American Tribes and their neighbors. The state of Michigan represents the collaboration between the state and Tribal governments. The feathers represent honor and achievement in Native culture. The white, yellow, black and red around the outside represents the colors of the Medicine Wheel. The flame in the center stands for the Three Fires Alliance. All of these pieces of the logo were meant to merge two cultures together.