North American Indian Association of Detroit

North American Indian Association of Detroit Preserving and promoting Native culture, education, and community in the Detroit area since 1946.

Empowering our people, honoring the past, celebrating the present, building the future. Founded in the 1940s as the North American Indian Club, the North American Indian Association of Detroit (NAIA) has served Native American communities in Wayne and Washtenaw counties for decades. The North American Indian Association of Detroit (NAIA) empowers Native American communities in Wayne and Washtenaw

counties through cultural preservation, education, economic development, and social justice. We promote tribal sovereignty, collaborate with Native organizations across the U.S. and Canada, and work toward long-term sustainability for future generations. NAIA seeks partnerships and support from a diverse range of funding sources, public, private, and individual donors, to further our mission and create lasting impact in our communities.

06/24/2026
06/24/2026

THE LETTERS THAT NEVER REACHED HOME

💔 Thousands of Native American children entered boarding schools carrying one thing that could not fit into a suitcase:

Hope.

Hope that they would see their families again.

Hope that someone back home was thinking about them.

Hope that the separation would not last forever.

For many children, letters became the only connection to home.

But communication was often limited, monitored, or difficult. Many students were far away from their communities. Some parents could not read English. Some children gradually lost the ability to write in their own language.

The distance grew larger with every passing year.

🏫 Boarding schools were designed to separate children from Indigenous influences. Officials believed the farther children were removed from their communities, the more successful assimilation would be.

The result was isolation.

Children missed births, funerals, ceremonies, and family gatherings.

They missed learning traditions from elders.

They missed growing up surrounded by the people who knew them best.

Many returned home feeling like strangers in places that should have felt familiar.

🕊️ The effects extended beyond a single generation.

When family connections are broken, communities suffer.

When children lose access to language and culture, entire nations feel the impact.

Yet many survivors spent decades rebuilding those connections.

They taught grandchildren the stories they remembered.

They preserved songs that others tried to silence.

They kept pieces of their heritage alive.

History often records laws and policies.

But behind every policy were children waiting for letters from home.

How many lives were changed by those years of separation?

And how different would history look if families had simply been allowed to stay together?

💎💔🏫

This Saturday📍 St. Mary's Park111 W. Elm Ave.Monroe, MI 48162
06/23/2026

This Saturday
📍 St. Mary's Park
111 W. Elm Ave.
Monroe, MI 48162

06/20/2026

In a treehouse by the sea, a grandfather shares the story of how he kept his dreams alive with thoughts of his future grandchild—who is his most precious dr...

06/18/2026

Shekoli Swakwéku̲
Here is the first page of General Conversation phrases using Oneida Language. 1 of 5. Watch for all 5 uploads during this week.

Today at our sister organization!
06/17/2026

Today at our sister organization!

Coming up this Wednesday, June 17!

06/13/2026

Address

22720 Plymouth Road
Detroit, MI
48239

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+13135352966

Website

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