GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Hundreds of years ago, Grand Rapids, or Bow-E-Ting (the rapids) in Anishinaabek, was home to a sprawling plum tree orchard utilized by Indigenous women searching for a place of solace.
Indigenous tribes — particularly the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians — maintained a significant wild plum grove on the west bank of the Grand River. This grove was tied to a Native healing lodge, deeply integral to their seasonal life and ceremonial tradition.
However, as European settlers colonized the region, that plum orchard, yards from what is now Ah‑Nab‑Awen Park, was burned down to facilitate agricultural and urban development…