Anaem Omot

Anaem Omot ("Dog's Belly") is a five-square-mile area located on both sides of the Menominee River, along the Michigan and Wisconsin border. The land is sacred to the Menominee people.

Description
The boundaries of the Anaem Omot extends 500 feet inland from the banks of the Menominee River, and runs from the Chalk Hills Dam to the Pike River. The area includes burial mounds located along the river, and large circles where the ancestor of the Menominee Nation performed dream dances introduced by the Ojibwe. It also includes the Sixty Islands area, which contains the remains of prehistoric fields used to cultivate corn. Many of these fields are located on raised beds and some are still in use.

History
Menominee tribal historians believe the area of Anaem Omot has been home to indigenous settlements for roughly 10,000 years. The area includes a tribal village on the Wisconsin side of the river that was occupied in the 17th through 19th centuries.

The designation of Anaem Omot as a historic property was controversial. In particular, a portion of the area overlaps with the proposed Back Forty Mine. This mine was first proposed, and permitting sought, by Aquila Resources in 2015. In 2021, Gold Resources Corporation purchased the mine.