Thomas L. McKenney was the Superintendent of Indian Affairs at the time of President Andrew Jackson's endorsement of the Indian Removal Act in 1830. He witnessed the mass displacement of Native American tribes from their homelands. Together with James Hall, McKenney, initiated a project to document the likenesses and biographies of 125 Native American chiefs, orators and translators who engaged in territorial negotiations with the U.S. Government during this time. The project was titled "History of the Indian Tribes of North America".
The Michilimackinac Historical Society has over 120 of McKenney’s portraits that will be featured in our new gallery space in the Straits Cultural Center. Help preserve and exhibit the portraits, and develop interpretive educational programming and activities around them into perpetuity.
The sponsorship of a chief will aid in the construction and maintenance of the McKenney Gallery. All chiefs can be sponsored for $1000, and all sponsors’ names will be displayed in the exhibit. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, follow our link and choose to sponsor a chief with your donation.