A century-old mystery has been put to rest as the remains of a young girl, believed to have died in the early 1900s, were found during demolition work at a former casino site in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The child, named Anna Waishkey, was discovered on the Bay Mills Indian Reservation in Chippewa County. According to MLive, Tribal Chairperson Whitney Gravelle confirmed last week that the remains had been moved to the community's Old Burial Ground to be reunited with her family and ancestors in accordance with tradition. The site where Waishkey was found is the former location of the Kings Club Casino, with crews having stumbled upon her remains while clearing the site.
In a ceremony that was held with the utmost care to respect cultural practices and ensure proper handling, Paula Carrick, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, and Cultural Director Allyn Cameron were present to oversee the respectful transfer of the remains. The process, reportedly done with "ceremony, good intentions, and traditional medicines," was aimed to gently and properly move Anna Waishkey. Gravelle highlighted the significance of the event in a social media post, stating that "this moment is also one of spiritual strength, cultural resilience, and deep pride for Bay Mills Indian Community," as noted by MLive.
The Bay Mills Community requested the public's cooperation by asking them to not visit the site and to refrain from capturing photos or videos to preserve the sanctity of the reburial process. As per a report by 9and10news, additional security was set in place, with the area being under 24/7 surveillance to ensure that the sacred process remained undisturbed. The exact location of the girl's initial discovery was not disclosed out of respect for the individual and the tribal community's wishes.
Paula Carrick had known about the possibility of the young Waishkey girl's burial on this site for more than two decades. "We talked to four of our Elders back in 1998, and they told us there was this little Waishkey girl, age 13 or younger, that was buried over there and that we should probably watch out for her," Carrick told SooLeader. The community always held on to this knowledge and made sure to take precautions when the site was due to be cleared. Carrick, facing an air quality issue, relied on a team who were standing by during the excavation process, and halted operations immediately upon finding the remains.
