THE KEWEENAW GEOHERITAGE SUMMER INTERNSHIP: EXPLORING OUR SHARED RELATIONSHIPS WITH LAND AND WATER

Geoheritage is an evolving field that emphasizes the importance of the varied personal values people have for geologic features and explores the wide-ranging relationships we have with landscapes. As such, geoheritage is an effective communication tool affording place-based learning experiences that nurture our sense of place and deepen our Earth Science literacy. We created a two-week geoheritage summer internship experience for tribal and non-tribal youth in the Keweenaw region of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to explore and deepen our relationships within this place. Our study area is defined by its billion-year-old geology at the heart of the Midcontinent Rift system that created both the Lake Superior basin and the largest known native copper deposit on Earth. It is further defined as the ancestral and contemporary homelands and waters of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) along the southern shoreline of Lake Superior. The geoheritage field experience in week 1 offered shared ways of knowing about the landscape, culture, and heritage of our place through braided knowledge sets. We selected culturally significant and valued sites for KBIC that also offer exceptional opportunities to learn about Earth’s history. The abundant gifts of natural and cultural resources prioritized by our communities guided our learning with focus on Nibi (water), Mishomis (Grandfathers, rocks), and Miskwaabik (copper). Students collected and documented their learning experience through the collection of photos, audio recordings, and drawings. During a geospatial workshop in week 2, participants used this data to develop StoryMaps to reflect on how geologic processes have guided and continue to mold culture and life in our place. The internship created opportunities for a) collaborative experiences, teamwork, and networking, b) mentoring relationships with an interdisciplinary, multi-aged, and multicultural team, c) service to community, d) learning about landscape through other ways of knowing, e) geospatial skill development, and f) fostering cultural competency concomitantly with other essential skills for career paths in the geosciences.