What do Treaties Mean and Why does it Matter
By MASHKODE-BIZHIKIGAHBAW BENJI SAM
Recently, it has been determined in the court of law that the Treaty Boundaries have been intact since the finalization of the Treaty of 1855, and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will forever be cemented as the “Non-Removables.”
Today, we Anishinaabe of Mille Lacs stand strong while numbering over 4800 enrolled tribal members on- and off-reservation. As much as the US government, the State of Minnesota, and the entirety of the Western Colonization has tried over these last 300-some years, we are still here, and we are still strong.
Pieces of our cultural backgrounds that were supposed to be stripped from us like language, cultural identity, independence, and our rights to hunt, fish, and gather are now and have always been an integral part of our being. Language is what makes the Anishinaabe who we are. Anishinaabemowin, the people’s language, has entered the forefront of our region’s priority to revitalize and gain what was once lost, and access to language resources has never been better.
The Elders speak of the importance of language revitalization and maintaining that connection to the earth, because everything in the world has a spirit. Our ability to communicate with that world is as important as our offerings to it. Our right to hunt, gather, and fish comes with an incredible responsibility as stewards of the land and water. I was taught long ago that Asemaa, our language, and our appreciation for life and resource are what keep those spirits willing to help guide us in life, and how we treat those resources is what feeds our spirit after death.
Treaties also give us the right to self-govern, as an independent sovereign nation, within the boundaries of our Reservation. It gives us the right to create and amend the law of the land within our own Tribe for the purpose of improving life for our own people. Our ability to self-govern and regulate within our three-branch government is an integral piece of what those warriors fought for years ago.
Tribal government is a monumental piece in support and maintenance of our way of living but also maintains relations to the State and Federal level. Sometimes that involves lobbying against/for gaming rights and sometimes that means collaborative efforts in maintaining the health of our resources. We have so many great, passionate folks in place at multiple levels of our own government to support community relations, health care, housing, law enforcement, natural resources, education, and so many more pieces that a sovereign nation needs to thrive.
We owe it to ourselves to continue strengthening these systems to improve our region of the world while also keeping our cultural identity. To know where we are going, it is important to know exactly where we have been and the treaties our relatives signed into law were established to help preserve the Anishinaabe way of life.
Come to think of it, even when our relatives were beaten, arrested, shamed, and forced to change their lifestyle while the world was dead set on erasing us from the history books, they did not give up on themselves and preserving their right to harvest. Even when tribal harvest was viewed as "illegal" our people maintained their integrity and identity, and stood tall against the oppression of our birth right as Anishinaabe people to hunt, fish, and gather in a land once promised to us.
We still stand here today, because of those people, and we will continue standing here because they never stopped fishing. We will stay standing here because those people never stopped collecting bark, tapping trees, hunting deer, duck, rabbits, and practicing those ways of life promised to them as Anishinaabe. Because of our treaties, our teachings, and our great appreciation, respect, and understanding of the Earth, wind, water, and woods, we will continue the Anishinaabe way for generations to come.
Many of us today set nets, harvest animals, collect birch bark, etc. because these activities make us feel connected, grounded, and well fed. Spiritually, these traditions give our souls guidance and keep our bodies fed enough to continue our own journey in this life.
Treaties matter because they allow us as Anishinaabe to do the things that make us an Indigenous people. And according to the rest of the world, we aren’t even supposed to be here. We owe it to ourselves, our children, our grandchildren, and our future to remember those who helped us get here and give the next generation the tools, the resources, the knowledge, and the desire in how to survive as a modern-day Anishinaabe.
While the world changes every year, we must continue to make efforts to preserve our teachings, history, cultural identities, and way of life. Treaties give us life. Treaties give us hope. It is up to us to continue walking that path for a better tomorrow so that the next generation can learn how to hunt, fish, and gather for themselves. So today, and every day, we celebrate life, our traditions, our ability to be a sovereign nation, and our connection to Mother Earth.
For a bond far stronger than any other contractual obligation holds us together as Anishinaabe people, and that can never be taken away from us for “…as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and rivers flow….”
We are still here — unbroken, unbothered, and undeniable.
We are the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Note: The author put out a call for community members to submit photos depicting Mille Lacs Band members exercising of treaty rights. All of the photos gathered are personal photos submitted by Mille Lacs Band community members and printed with their permission. See more photos at www.Inaajimowin.com/galleries.
WHY TREATIES MATTER
“Those Elders/leaders traveled so far knowing these treaties would make a difference for future generations. That’s why they fought so hard to protect our cultural rights from harm for seven generations and beyond. It is up to us to restore and reconnect our youth to the outdoors and the Anishinaabe way of life.
“It is our job to share programs with the community to promote treaty rights to harvest food, fish, and medicines, and to connect those who need it with the physical world. Our Tribe faces so many social issues today, and because of our treaties, we have an opportunity to create a path to healing, cultural identity, language revitalization, self-sustainability, and so much more to create a healthy mind, spirit, and collective well-being.
“The rights maintained within our treaties are not given privileges — these are things we have always done. Our people scaled the landscape and adapted to life as a community. Some people harvested while others hunted, some fished while others collected medicine, some sewed while others built and repaired living space, and that’s what those Elders sought to preserve. Our ancestors believed that we had what we needed to survive right here, and because of them, we are able to continue our way of life on the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation and within our Ceded Territory.”
~ Kelly Applegate ~
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources
