CASSOPOLIS — Inside of the Cass County Circuit Court Room, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Traditions/Repatriation committee member Kevin Daugherty lit a bundle of sage and fanned the flame with a feather, filling the courtroom with a cloud of sweet smoke. Standing across from him was a family who stood expectantly at the front of the courtroom, father and mother using all of their hands to keep their three children close.

Once the air had been cleared, Daugherty approached the family with a blue and yellow patterned quilt. Giving the father and the mother each a corner, he enveloped the family in it, each member huddling close together to best fit under the blanket’s warmth.

When traditional Pokagon ceremony completed, Daugherty announced that a new member had been welcomed into the Armstrong family.

“When we are having an addition to the family, we believe that a blanket is one of the most basic things a family can provide for a child,” he said. “The blanket surrounding them signifies that they are all one together.”

Tuesday, Cass County hosted its 17th annual Adoption Day event at the Law and Courts Building in Cassopolis. Hosted at courts state-wide, Adoption Day allows participating courts to finalize adoptions, host parties for adoptive families and educate the public about the adoption process. Michigan Adoption Day is co-sponsored by the Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange and the Child Welfare Services Division of the State Court Administrative Office.

“Today, many families will be giving thanks for bringing children into their homes, and many children will be thankful for finding a permanent family,” said Chief Judge Susan Dobrich as she presided over the festivities. “Since we began adoption day in Cass County, we have finalized over 730 adoptions, and that is clearly something to be very thankful for.”

During Tuesday’s ceremony in Cass County, four families who had adopted children throughout the year were recognized. Among those families was the Armstrong family, who were the subjects of a Pokagon Band ceremony as adopted daughter Addison, 3, is a tribal citizen.

White Pigeon resident and patriarch Peter became Addison’s foster parent when she was 8 weeks old. He later met and married his wife, Mary, and the two said Tuesday’s ceremony was a happy day after years of ups and downs throughout the process.

“This feels great,” Peter said as a smile came across his face. “We are very excited.”

“We’ve waited a long time for this,” Mary added. “[Addison] has always been a part of our family.”

As neither Peter nor Mary are tribal citizens themselves, they believed it was special to be a part of the Pokagon ceremony Tuesday and to share in Addison’s culture.

“My family has a Greek background, so tradition and heritage is huge to us,” Peter said. “It’s important to us that we be a part of her culture and spend time with her biological family. We want to keep her culture involved in her life.”

Representatives of the court and the Pokagon Band said hosting the ceremony and including Pokagon culture within the adoption process was the right thing to do for the family.

“We wanted to make sure we did this the right way,” Dobrich said.

While keeping Addison involved with her heritage, the Armstrongs said their plans for the future are simple: to continue to raise Addison and her siblings, Trentin and Skarlette.

“I want to help bring up this girl in a loving home and help her to be successful and reach for her goals,” Mary said. “We are so happy to be here all together.”