Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Encyclopedia
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is a band of Ojibwe Indians. The Red Cliff Band is located on the Red Cliff Indian Reservation, on Lake Superior
in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Red Cliff, Wisconsin
, is the administrative center. Red Cliff is notable for being the band closest to the spiritual center of the Ojibwe nation, Madeline Island
.
the group of Ojibwe that moved west along the south shore of Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie
. According to tradition, the Ojibwe came from the Atlantic coast via several stopping places to Chequamegon Bay
directed by the Great Spirit {Gichi Manidoo} to find the "food that grows on water" (wild rice
). Madeline Island
represented the final stopping place.
During the 17th century, French
fur traders and Jesuits arrived on Madeline Island and set up a trading post at La Pointe
with a Catholic mission. In the 18th century, the La Pointe Ojibwe spread throughout the mainland of what would become Wisconsin
and Minnesota
. The Ojibwe that remained in the vicinity of Madeline Island were referred to as the La Pointe Band.
After a disastrous 1850 attempt at removing the Lake Superior bands resulting in the Sandy Lake Tragedy
, the US Government agreed to setting up permanent reservations in Wisconsin with the Treaty of La Pointe
(1854). At this point, the La Pointe band split with Roman Catholic members under the leadership of Chief Buffalo taking a reservation at Red Cliff, and those maintaining traditional Midewiwin
beliefs settling at Bad River
. The two bands, however, maintain close relations to this day.
During the early reservation period, most tribal members were forced to make their living working for white employers in nearby Bayfield, Wisconsin
. The commercial fishing
industry drew many of these workers.
At the turn of the 19th century, the Commission of Indian Affairs allowed lumbering companies to cut most of the timber on the reservation. Many tribal members found work in logging, but the tribe largely missed out on the timber revenues.
case Gurnoe vs. Wisconsin (1972) the court found in favor of a Red Cliff tribal member upholding that the tribe reserved the right to harvest reasonable amounts of fish. This was an important precedent for the Voigt decision.
During the Wisconsin Walleye War
(1987-1991), Red Cliff was not a site of violence in the way other Lake Superior bands were. However, Red Cliff tribal members began exercising treaty rights
, and member Walter Bresette
emerged as a major leader of the treaty-rights movement.
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Red Cliff, Wisconsin
Red Cliff, Wisconsin
Red Cliff, also known as Miskwabiikong, is an unincorporated community in the town of Russell, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. Red Cliff is the administrative center of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa...
, is the administrative center. Red Cliff is notable for being the band closest to the spiritual center of the Ojibwe nation, Madeline Island
Madeline Island
Madeline Island is an island of the U.S. state of Wisconsin located in Lake Superior approximately two miles northeast of Bayfield, Wisconsin, and connected to that town seasonally by a 20 minute ferry ride or an ice road. It is the largest of the Apostle Islands, although it is not included...
.
History
The Red Cliff Band is one of the successors of the Lake Superior ChippewaLake Superior Chippewa
The Lake Superior Chippewa were a historical band of Ojibwe Indians living around Lake Superior in what is now the northern parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.-Origins:...
the group of Ojibwe that moved west along the south shore of Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
. According to tradition, the Ojibwe came from the Atlantic coast via several stopping places to Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay is an inlet of Lake Superior, NE-SW and 2- wide, in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the extreme northern part of Wisconsin. It lies largely inside the barrier of Chequamegon Point and Long Island, with the Bad River Indian Reservation to the east. Ashland, Wisconsin is on its...
directed by the Great Spirit {Gichi Manidoo} to find the "food that grows on water" (wild rice
Wild rice
Wild rice is four species of grasses forming the genus Zizania, and the grain which can be harvested from them. The grain was historically gathered and eaten in both North America and China...
). Madeline Island
Madeline Island
Madeline Island is an island of the U.S. state of Wisconsin located in Lake Superior approximately two miles northeast of Bayfield, Wisconsin, and connected to that town seasonally by a 20 minute ferry ride or an ice road. It is the largest of the Apostle Islands, although it is not included...
represented the final stopping place.
During the 17th century, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
fur traders and Jesuits arrived on Madeline Island and set up a trading post at La Pointe
La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
with a Catholic mission. In the 18th century, the La Pointe Ojibwe spread throughout the mainland of what would become Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The Ojibwe that remained in the vicinity of Madeline Island were referred to as the La Pointe Band.
After a disastrous 1850 attempt at removing the Lake Superior bands resulting in the Sandy Lake Tragedy
Sandy Lake Tragedy
The Sandy Lake Tragedy was the culmination of a series of events centered in Sandy Lake, Minnesota, that resulted in the deaths in 1850 of several hundred Lake Superior Chippewa. Officials of the Zachary Taylor Administration and Minnesota Territory sought to relocate several bands of the tribe to...
, the US Government agreed to setting up permanent reservations in Wisconsin with the Treaty of La Pointe
Treaty of La Pointe
The Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples...
(1854). At this point, the La Pointe band split with Roman Catholic members under the leadership of Chief Buffalo taking a reservation at Red Cliff, and those maintaining traditional Midewiwin
Midewiwin
The Midewiwin or the Grand Medicine Society is a secretive religion of the aboriginal groups of the Maritimes, New England and Great Lakes regions in North America. Its practitioners are called Midew and the practices of Midewiwin referred to as Mide...
beliefs settling at Bad River
Bad River Chippewa Band
The Bad River LaPointe Band of Chippewa Indians is located on a reservation on the south shore of Lake Superior. The reservation, which has a land area of 497.477 km² , is in northern Wisconsin straddling Ashland and Iron counties. The band has approximately 7,000 members, of whom about 1,800...
. The two bands, however, maintain close relations to this day.
During the early reservation period, most tribal members were forced to make their living working for white employers in nearby Bayfield, Wisconsin
Bayfield, Wisconsin
Bayfield is a city in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 611 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Henry Bayfield, a British Royal Topographic Engineer who explored the region in 1822-23....
. The commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
industry drew many of these workers.
At the turn of the 19th century, the Commission of Indian Affairs allowed lumbering companies to cut most of the timber on the reservation. Many tribal members found work in logging, but the tribe largely missed out on the timber revenues.
Revival
During the 20th century commercial fishing in Lake Superior sustained many Red Cliff families. Despite the fact that the Ojibwe had reserved the rights to hunt, fish, and gather in treaties signed in Wisconsin Supreme CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the state of Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.-Location:...
case Gurnoe vs. Wisconsin (1972) the court found in favor of a Red Cliff tribal member upholding that the tribe reserved the right to harvest reasonable amounts of fish. This was an important precedent for the Voigt decision.
During the Wisconsin Walleye War
Wisconsin Walleye War
Civil unrest erupted in Wisconsin after U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb handed down a ruling on August 21, 1987 that affirmed the treaty right of six Ojibwe or Chippewa tribal governments to regulate their members' hunting and fishing outside of the reservation boundaries, based on the...
(1987-1991), Red Cliff was not a site of violence in the way other Lake Superior bands were. However, Red Cliff tribal members began exercising treaty rights
Treaty rights
Treaty rights are certain rights that were reserved by Indian tribes when they signed treaties with the United States government. By signing treaties, tribes traded vast amounts of their land and resources in exchange for reserved areas of land and things like protection , health care, education,...
, and member Walter Bresette
Walter Bresette
Walter Bresette was a prominent Ojibwe activist, politician, and author most notable for work on environmental issues and Ojibwe treaty rights in Northern Wisconsin and the Lake Superior region...
emerged as a major leader of the treaty-rights movement.