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The Blade (Toledo, OH)
8-28-00
More than 200 years after a battle opened Ohio and much of the Northwest Territory to settlers, dozens gathered yesterday in an irregular circle on lawn chairs and blankets to honor the Indian warriors.
For about two hours, dancers in traditional clothing moved to a drum beat at Side Cut Park's Siegert Lake Area in Maumee for "a day of remembrance and healing" for the Indians who fought for the land during the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
"We honor the Native American presence because they are not remembered," said Joyce Mahaney, founder of the American Indian Intertribal Association.
"It's also to preserve our culture and it's an event for people to come together," she said.
Dancers hailed from Toledo, Cleveland, Lima, and Indiana, while the singers with drums arrived from Canada.
As the dancers entered the circle from the east and encouraged others to participate, the movements honored veterans and the Earth.
Wearing sunglasses, 84-year-old Marvin Nichols, a medic during World War II, moved in the circle to the drum beat with other veterans. The crowd entered the circle with and thanked them with handshakes for their contribution.
"It's a nice place around here," said Mr. Nichols of Ottawa Lake, Mich., with his daughter and her friends.
It took some coaxing for him to dance. Jim and Debbie Mills of Maumee took in the celebration. Mr. Mills found out about Native American culture while getting an liberal studies degree at the University of Toledo.
"I learned the culture was right here in our backyard and I wanted to participate in preserving it," Mr. Mills said. "It's pretty fascinating."
There's a different kind of celebration coming soon. The Toledo Area Metroparks has an agreement with Toledo to buy the battlefield site in Maumee for $5.5 million. The sale is to be in two parts: 72 acres for $2.8 million this year, and 115 acres for $2.7 million by July 31, 2001.
So far, the parks have $2.8 million for the purchase - $2 million from the state, $500,000 from Maumee, and $300,000 from Lucas County - which will secure the purchase of the first parcel.
Because the state has pledged to pay for half the cost of acquiring the land for the park, at least $500,000 more in state money is expected next year, park officials have said. Efforts are under way to come up the rest of the money.
The battlefield is part of about 1,200 acres, formerly in Monclova Township, which the city purchased for $14 million in 1987. The court blocked an annexation attempt and Toledo has sold most of the land, which has become a part of Maumee.
The 1795 Treaty of Greenville, which resulted from the Battle of Fallen Timbers, opened Ohio and other land to settlement. In the war, Gen. Anthony Wayne led forces that defeated an alliance of American Indian tribes.
In 1995, the 187-acre Maumee site was identified as the location of the battle. Congress named the battleground a National Historic Site last year.
"We want both sides presented equally," Ms. Mahaney said. "It's a sad history for Native Americans. It should be preserved and presented the way it happened."
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