This appeared in the March 27, 2000 edition of the Michigan Independent on p.3-6. It was edited from my original which is a better read.

A Little Bit More About Michigamua
By Micah Holmquist
March 1, 2000

The Students of Color Coalition’s occupation of the Michigan Union’s top floors has focused a great deal of attention on Michigamua. A multitude of issues exist surrounding this occupation, warranting more discussion than possible in any single article. Still, a more in depth look at Michigamua itself, and not the occupation or the administration’s actions, may prove useful in the larger dialogue of this issue.

How does Michigamua operate and what is its purpose?

According to Michigamua itself, the group has existed since 1901. 25 UM students, all white males (although so were the vast majority of all students at that point), founded it as an honor society for seniors. The group has usually allowed up to 25 people to join Michigamua each year since then. Some of the more famous Michigamua members are former United States President Gerald Ford and playwright Arthur Miller. The inductees from last year are the first Michigamua group to include Women, although even this group remains disproportionately male when compared to the student population as a whole. The most recent group of members has generally had the direct responsibility for picking new members. Still, the group begins to scout out potential recruits as early as their first or second year. Michigamua likes to view itself as being an organization for student leaders and other important people. For better or worse, this means that its membership has tended to consist of athletes and individuals who are involved in activities such as student government that merit little controversy.

To further the selection process, Michigamua does keep files on potential members. These files often include a picture, a listing of when and where a person can be best viewed and scouted, as well as the pros and cons of letting them in. If the group selects a person for membership then that person will be "tapped" or told that they have been selected towards the end of their junior year. Not every person who has been tapped has ended up joining the group. Tom Hayden, for example, did not join Michigamua after he was selected to be part of the 1961 group. (Hayden was a key leader in the anti-Vietnam War and New Left political movements of the 1960s and 70s as well as editor-in-chief of the Daily from 1960-1961.) Those that do decide to join then have to undergo an initiation process. Some documents found in Michigamua's office suggest that even today this process might include some hazing rituals. Michigamua, however, denies this charge.

Once inside the group, the members are supposed to "Fight Like Hell for Michigan and Michigamua!" In other words and in slightly less quaint language, the goal is to help improve the campus. If and how the group has actually done this is not clear. Michigamua appears to have played a part in the construction of the Union but the group itself admits that alumni unaffiliated with Michigamua helped raise money for the construction of the Union. Oftentimes, the role that Michigamua, the organization, plays in an event is unclear since its members are also influential outside of the group.

Is Michigamua a racist group?

Few discussions of Michigamua have occurred without the issue of racism coming up. Michigamua has traditionally modeled itself on Native American cultures or, more correctly, on a distorted view of Native American cultures. This manifests itself in numerous ways. The group has a history of referring to itself as the "Nation of Michigamua, " calling its members "braves," and referring to each group of members as a tribe. The group also has traditionally smoked from a "peace pipe" as a way of starting meetings.

Furthermore, each member of the group gets a nickname and many of these names are direct, and sometimes quite mocking and vicious, references to Native Americans. Gerald Ford's nickname was "Flipp 'Um Back" while the current UM hockey coach Gordon Berenson had the name "Red Scalper." This last case is particularly suspicious since the Berenson is usually referred to not with his first name but with his hockey nickname "Red." (Inquiries to the UM athletic department and Berenson's office from the Independent as to origin of his popular nickname were not returned.) The group’s meeting place at the seventh floor of the Union which Gilbert Shafer, a Michigamua member from 1920, designed to look like a wig-wam doesn’t help their image either. When the SCC first laid claim to space on February 6, the group found both authentic Native American artifacts and demeaning representations of indigenous people. The walls of the office space include many references to Native American cultures in the way of paintings and adornments such as a stuffed owl (a symbol of death in many Native American traditions.)

Both the SCC and other opponents of Michigamua and Michigamua’s current membership agree that this is a shameful past full of racism. Nick Delgado, the spokesperson for the most recent members of Michigamua, has said repeatedly that the group is sorry for its past actions. In a statement prepared for the February 17 regents meeting, Delgado said that the group "sincerely and deeply apologizes to members of the Native American and University communities to whom the actions have caused offense."

Not every Michigamua member agrees with this viewpoint, however. Tom Jobson played football for UM and was a member the "tribe" of 1961. (And, in the interests of disclosure, Jobson was the Principal of Cadillac High School for the four years that this writer went there.) When asked about the group’s practices, Jobson told the Independent that "I don’t think that there was any attempt to imagine it as being derogatory. In fact, he believes that the practices were done out of respect for Native Americans as a "strong people" that had survived many obstacles. Jobson mentioned that the pipe smoking that began meetings was "a time for meditation and quite respectful."

Jobson also pointed that Michigamua has been a relatively integrated group along racial lines. Jobson, a white man, said that his "tribe" had at least two African American members. Furthermore one-third of the current group consists of people of color and the group has admitted Jewish students for many years. This record looks quite impressive when compared to secret societies that have existed at other elite universities but its impacts lessens in light of the fact that it appears no Native American has ever been a member of Michigamua.

Delgado may not agree with Jobson on all matters, but he and other recent Michigamua members do still resent some of the SCC's criticisms. The LSA senior told the Independent that "all Native American references have been abolished" in the current group's rituals and practices and that items which the SCC has claimed to have found out in the open were actually all in storage. For its part, the SCC has always acknowledged that some of these items were in storage but has maintained that some objects were in plain view and easily accessible.

Is Michigamua an elitist group?

The charge of elitism appears inevitable since no more than 25 can join the group each year. Furthermore the files that Michigamua keeps on prospects add to suspicion in this area. Some reasons listed for not letting certain individuals in the group this spring include the description of a person as being "mildly retarded" and not being familiar with the other "elitist" organizations on campus.

Delgado offered no comment on the specifics of these folders but did say that that the charge of elitism is false. He said that the group limits the number of people who can join the group so that members can from a closer bond amongst one another than they could in a larger group. He contends that the connection is further cemented by the fact that the group usually meets at the same place and time each week. This bond, according to Delgado, is not as likely to development through informal emailing, coalition meetings, or any of the many other ways that the vast majority of student leaders form alliances amongst one another.

Jobson expressed a similar sentiment in describing his experience in Michigamua as "wonderful" and as giving him "a chance to meet some very unique people P older and more powerful people" than he would have on his own.

Can Michigamua be trusted?

It is certainly notable that the most recent group of Michigamua members, through their spokesperson Delgado, are expressing a desire to reform the group. The group voluntarily released the names of all of their most recent members in a full-page ad for the Daily. This fits with Delgado’s claim that Michigamua "is not a secret society." Furthermore Delgado told the Independent that the group might consider allowing the media to attend and report on Michigamua meetings, although he would not give any sort of commitment to this or any other specific action that might yield greater public knowledge. Delgado also said, "we are willing and open to negotiate on all issues" and indicated that the group would be willing to change its name or relinquish its office space if the University provided a "compelling reason."

All of this sounds good but, unfortunately, the group’s history caution’s against trusting the group. In 1989, Michigamua signed an agreement that said "Michigamua does hereby eliminate all reference to Native American culture and pseudo-culture and extensions and parodies thereof, with the one exception being the name, Michigamua, for now and forever." Delgado told the Independent that this agreement "really laid down the groundwork" for reforming the group but also admitted that the group did not begin to make real internal changes until 1991, a view supported by the groups own internal documents - particularly the March 1991 edition of their newsletter. This history obviously questions why the SCC, the Native American Students Association, or anybody else should trust Michigamua to fully reform itself. Delgado responded to this question by saying, "they are right in their criticism of Michigamua’s compliance. We apologize for that. We are genuinely sorry." This sentiment, genuine or not, still fails to answer the question. To this day, Michigamua has failed to provide a reasonable demonstration of their sincerity.

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