The Metro : A new book explores Michigan history through the eyes of the last Indigenous mound builder
Through the fictional character of Nokee, one of the last keepers of an ancient indigenous tradition, readers learn about Michigan’s burial mounds and what they mean in the scope of a suppressed and often forgotten way of life.
Nokee: The Last of The Great Mound Builders
Before the Mayflower and highways, stories were written into the Earth. What’s left behind are tales not easily found in textbooks.
“Nokee: The Last of the Great Lakes Mound Builders” is a book that asks readers to learn a history that was nearly erased.
Through the fictional character of Nokee, the audience is brought face-to-face with a culture that shaped the Great Lakes landscape long before it had a name on a map.
As one of the last keepers of an ancient tradition, Nokee learns that burial mounds are not simply monuments of the past. They were living places where ancestors danced, cried, and convened.
The massive structures were raised by human hands, often shaped like animals and aligned with spirit and seasons.
Author of Nokee: The Last of The Great Mound Builders
Steve Rheaume is the author of Nokee. He is also a former federal biologist and geo-hydrologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. He joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to discuss the book.
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