Marquette honors its Indigenous roots with a sculpture

Music in the air and lights in the sky will celebrate the unveiling next week of a sculpture by an Anishinaabe artist at the entrance of the walking pier in Marquette’s lower harbor.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings by contemporary stone sculptor Jason Quigno, a tribal citizen of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, features boulders carved to represent each of the Seven Grandfathers and the teachings they offer. The stones will be placed in a circle at the entrance of Marquette’s recent Spear Dock renovation.

The oral tradition of the Anishinaabe people honors the teachings as lessons of conduct toward other people, the earth, and the environment.

The art was commissioned by the City of Marquette Public Art Commission, 

“This is an exciting moment for the entire community and a first step in bringing forward stories that have long been hidden,” says Amelia Pruiett, communications and marketing coordinator for the city of Marquette Community Services Office of Arts and Culture.  ‘While the Cultural Trail aims to tell everyone's stories, we’ve begun by highlighting Anishinaabe connections to the spaces we all inhabit and cherish. We are thrilled to offer this opportunity for our community to connect, contemplate, and celebrate.”

What’s happening: To celebrate the installation, several events are planned for the evening of Friday, Sept. 6. The events are free and open to the public. 

From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 6: guests are invited to bring their own seating to the entrance of the Spear Dock walking pier for a Sculpture Unveiling Ceremony that includes a view of the sculpture and chance to meet the sculptor, Quigno. An Honor Song will be performed by the Summer Cloud Singers.

At 8 p.m.: the local Anishinaabe-based rock band Waawiyeyaa will perform original music at Mattson Lower Harbor Park. 

At 8:45 p.m.: Big Drum and Teal Lake Singers follow with traditional Ojibwe music, accompanied by a laser light show projected onto the Ore Dock, produced by Indigenous artists and storytellers in collaboration with Fresh Coast Light Lab. 

The back story: The Seven Grandfather Teachings will serve as the centerpiece of the new seven-mile City Shoreline Cultural Trail  honoring Marquette’s diverse cultural heritage. The multi-use trail from the Carp River to Presque Isle is planned to incorporate portions of Mattson Park, Lighthouse Park, and Presque Isle, as well as potential new locations. 

Phase one of the trail is in development and will include:

Gichi-namebini-ziibiing – Mouth of the Carp River


Nagomikong, Nayamekang– Gaines Rock and Whetstone Creek

Now environmentally restored after its use as the site of an indigenous fishing camp, then buried by rail yards. 

Seven Grandfathers Teachings Sculpture


Lower Harbor Mattson Park

The former coal yard and industrial port now hosts community events and the downtown harbor.

Bagidaabii-neyaashi – Lighthouse Park

Now a public park, this historic maritime campus was also a significant indigenous fishing site known as “snagging point.”

North lakeshore – shoreline restoration


Jiibaay-manidoo-ziibi – Mouth of the Dead River

The former site of an  indigenous village.

Presque Isle Park

The park is registered as a cultural landscape.

Future sites are being considered and a Trailhead and Cultural Center will be established late 2025, opening to the public in 2026. All seven miles of the Cultural Trail are accessible to the public.  Trail  improvements will include signage, public art, and landscape improvements to selected sites. 

What’s next: The Seven Grandfather Teachings will be the first physical installation of site enhancements; seven more "story markers" are planned for 2025 that will complete phase one of the Cultural Trail. The city has a landscape design plan to enhance the site surrounding the Seven Grandfathers stones and create a 'natural room,’ its entrance framed by native plantings, and a grove of birch trees encircling the space. Additional information, interpretation and engagement opportunities are being planned with the Seven Grandfather Teachings and local Anishinaabe culture.

Looking forward to 2026, Marquette Public Art Commission intends to continue working with Quigno to create an Ishkode (fire) to be placed in the center of the Grandfathers. The flames would be created from three different types of stone entwined to represent the Anishinaabek (Council of Three Fires).

How is this project funded: The sculpture and Cultural Trail story markers are funded through an NEA grant, which eventually leveraged the state's MEDC and DNR funding for the Cultural Trailhead. The funding for the Seven Grandfather Teachings sculpture was a portion of the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant and was matched by Marquette's Public Art Fund. Superior Watershed Partnership has been a close partner in securing these grants for the Cultural Trail and Trailhead. The events on September 6^th are sponsored by the city of Marquette, Superior Watershed Partnership, Travel Marquette, and Fresh Coast Light Lab. The Seven Grandfather Teachings sculpture is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Marquette Public Art Fund. 

Rosemary Parker has worked as a writer and editor for more than 40 years. She is a regular contributor to Rural Innovation Exchange and other Issue Media Group publications.