Frank Ettawageshik

Frank Ettawageshik lives in Harbor Springs, Michigan, with his wife, Rochelle.  They have four adult children and four grandchildren.  An Odawa (Ottawa) Indian from northern Lower Michigan, he grew up in Harbor Springs, on Little Traverse Bay, in the Odawa homeland of Waganakising (the Crooked Tree).  He opened Pipigwa Pottery & Gallery in 1974 in Traverse City, Michigan.

            In 1989 Frank was elected to the board of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB) serving as Vice-chairman until April of 1991 at which time he became Tribal Chairman.  He held this office until July of 1999.  In 1994, the LTBB successfully ended a 120 year legal dispute with the US Government with the passage of Public Law 103-324 which reaffirmed the political relationship between the LTBB and the United States.  While Tribal Chairman, Frank was the CEO of the tribal administration and he represented the LTBB in its dealings with the governments of other Tribes, the State of Michigan and the United States.  Frank served as the Chairman of the tribe’s Economic Development Commission 2002-2003 before being reelected as Tribal Chairman in July 2003.  In August 2005 he was elected to a four year term as the first Tribal Chairman serving as the head of the Executive Branch of the Tribal Government under a new Tribal constitution adopted on February 1, 2005.

            As an artist, Frank has worked to revive the making of the traditional Indian pottery of the Great Lakes area. After years of research and experimentation his pots are virtually indistinguishable from the pots once made in Michigan. Not only was his goal to make the pots that his ancestors had made, but also to revive traditional pottery making as a contemporary art form in the Indian communities of Michigan.  His pottery is in public and private collections throughout the world.  In addition to making pottery, Frank is a traditional storyteller. His father, Fred, was a well known storyteller throughout Michigan.  Many of the stories told by Frank are ones that have been passed down from his father.

            Each year since 1974 Frank has given numerous demonstrations, lectures, workshops and in-service training programs on stoneware pottery, Indian pottery, Indian culture and storytelling.  He has also worked as a consultant for several universities, museums and private organizations.

            In 2005, Ettawageshik was a leading advocate to bring together both Native American and First Nation groups to form the United Indian Nations of the Great Lakes – a new organization dedicating to restoration and protection of the waters of the Great Lakes in the U.S. and Canada.