Thursday evening, May 2nd, marked the close of the 1991 Anishinabe
(Chippewa) spring spearfishing season. At the invitation of Anishinabe
spearers and their families, the Witness for Nonviolence has been
documenting harassment, threats, and violence against the Anishinabe
during spring spearfishing for the last four years. For the Native
people of northern Wisconsin, spearfishing is not just a source of
food, but an affirmation of their culture. Now in addition to racism,
this culture is facing another threat; the recolonization of the ceded
territories by mining corporations.
The resurgence of the off-reservation harvest of fish, deer, and wild
rice has led to complaints and attacks by some non-indigenous local
residents. In particular Protect America's Rights and Resources (PARR)
and Stop Treaty Abuse (STA) have organized protests at the boat landing
during spearfishing season. These protests not only include abusive
language, but shots have been fired and rocks frequently thrown at
spearers. This has led many observers to compare northern Wisconsin of
the 90's to the Alabama of 1960's.
However a recent Wisconsin State Journal poll shows 42% of northern
Wisconsinites, and 59% of southern Wisconsinites now support the
treaties. A much larger percentage are opposed to the boat landing
protests.
This year, hundreds of Witnesses from the local area and all over
Wisconsin, as well as Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Canada and
Germany, were present at northern Wisconsin lakes. The number of
protesters during most nights of fishing has been smaller than in
previous years.
With the exception of Sand and Dam Lake, Witnesses and Anishinabe
together have outnumbered the protesters at the boat landings. The
protest movement is dying. However, as put by Witness spokesperson Jean
Bormett, ``the hard core that remains is far more virulent in its
racist, abusive and threatening language.''
Incident at Sand and Dam Boat Landing The events of Saturday, April 20,
at the boat landing to Sand and Dam Lakes in Oneida County show that
very ugly scenes can erupt at any time. That evening six Witnesses and
one supporter went to document a protest of about 250 people at Sand and
Dam at the request of a spearing family there.
For the next hour, the Anishinabe and Witnesses were trapped by the
protesters against a snow fence. Native American game wardens were
prevented by police from standing near or talking to the Anishinabe
women.
At the Anishinabe, the protesters screamed ``Go home'', ``Spear
chuckers'', ``Timber niggers'', ``Red niggers'', ``Legalize abortion for
Indians'', ``Sweat hogs'', ``Whores'', ``Parasites'', ``Assholes In
Moccasins'', a reference to the American Indian Movement (AIM).
An African American Witness was taunted with ``Fucking nigger'',
``They're gonna hafta arrest me, I'm gonna kill him; roast his black ass
good'', ``Watermelon'', ``Hey blackboy, where's your basketball'',
``Homeboy'', ``Come with me I'm your master'', ``Aunt Jemima is waiting
for you, praise the Lord'', ``He's got some big ass lips...good for
spitting those watermelon seeds'', ``Hey Buckwheat'', and mock ape
sounds.
Ironically, the protesters complained about how they were tired of being
called ``white trash'', and how ``this old racist story is getting
pretty old''. They insisted that ``There's no racism here, where do you
see racism?
At 10pm a group of about 150 Anishinabe and Witnesses arrived at Sand
and Dam, led by a drum. Shouting intensified as Larry Peterson, a PARR
leader, burned a U.S. flag with a picture of a Native American
emblazoned on it. The flag has become a symbol of treaty support in
northern Wisconsin.
Mining Threatens Another hurdle the Anishinabe must overcome to maintain
their treaty rights is mining. Spearing is one of the rights retained by
the Lake Superior Anishinabe when they ceded their lands to the U.S. in
the treaties of 1837, 1842, and 1854. These treaty rights were
reaffirmed in Federal court seven years ago, after the Tribble brothers
from the Lac Court Oreilles Reservation in northern Wisconsin were
arrested in 1974 for off-reservation fishing. Any activity that would
harm the ability of the Anishinabe to harvest the natural resources in
the ceded territories is seen as a threat to the treaties.
The Kennecott Corporation (of 1973 Chile fame) has already obtained
permits to start mining in Ladysmith 140 feet from the Flambeau river,
south of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation. In order to obtain these
permits, the DNR has provided the company with many exemptions to
Wisconsin's environmental and zoning laws.
The struggle to prevent the opening of the Ladysmith mine has brought
together environmentalists, treaty supporters, Native and non-Native
Americans. A rally at Noranda headquarters in Toronto was held on April
5th in opposition to the company's plans to begin mining in the ceded
territories, south of the Lac du Flambeau reservation, on the same day
as other groups rallied in London, Vienna, and Madison.