Indians, oppressed and drug addicted, are typical stereotypes people think of when hearing that name, but when the glass is half full there are areas where they have the upper hand. With all of the rules and regulations put on regular citizens today, Native Americans come out on top in the outdoors. In this paper I will tell you about one of the few good things Native Americans acquired from past treaties.

When white settlers started pushing west from the East Coast to discover new territory, one thing stood between them and a new frontier- the indigenous Native Americans. In the 19th century, people were eager to discover new lands for themselves, and the United State government was eager to discover new lands for any valuable resources such as gold and oil (Minnesota Treaties.).

In 1837, the United States government was keen on acquiring land. They approached the Chippewa tribe with a treaty, an offer for them to cede parts of their land in exchange for goods and money (“1837 Treaty with the Chippewa - Minnesota DNR.”). In the final writings of the treaty, the Chippewa nation agreed to cede a large section of land, which today includes the eastern central part of Minnesota and a large part going into northern Wisconsin.

Just like the 1837 Treaty with the Chippewa there were many others just like it, not just Native Americans ceding land to the U.S, but included in a lot of them were retained hunting and fishing rights (“Title Page.”). This meant that even after the Native Americans left, they still could go back to hunt, fish, and in some of the treaties- harvest wild rice. After the treaties were signed, the U.S would not hold up its side of the bargain.

For continuing years after the signing of the treaties, the United States government would cheat the Indians by withholding payments and eventually take over almost all territories originally held by Native Americans. To this day, many of them still feel contention towards the government from being cheated all those years ago. Many of the promises made in the treaties, money for example, would fall to hands of corruption. Only parts of the payments would reach the hands of the Native Americans, with officials and fur traders taking pieces of them claiming they were to pay off debts owed to them (“Minnesota Treaties”). After being herded into reservations, the Native Americans would fall victim to cheat and corruption for years to come.

Ceded lands were quickly swallowed up by eager settlers, being turned into towns and farm land. The territories the Natives once knew were unrecognizable, they were barred from doing anything off the reservations for years. Any forms of hunting or fishing they had to do were under the regulations of the U.S government, same as their citizens. Traditional ways of hunting and fishing were faded into memory, pushed away by the white man.

In the 1980’s, Native Americans in Wisconsin wanted to fight for their rights that were originally promised over a century prior. They specifically wanted the right to spear walleyes during the night, claiming they could fish on any lakes that were in previous territories, and use traditional methods of harvesting. Wisconsin honored the agreement of the treaties and allowed Native Americans to spear walleyes (Revolvy, LLC). The traditional way of the indians to harvest walleye was to go out at night and shine a light in the water, which would then attract walleyes and would make them easy targets for spearing. Wisconsin residents were furious about how the Native Americans got “special treatment” to harvest walleyes, as it was much easier than using fishing rods, and the Native Americans had no limits on the amount of fish they could get (Revolvy, LLC). The growing contention and following events would later be known as the Wisconsin Walleye War.

Wisconsin residents rallied to hopefully end what they viewed as the poaching of walleyes, they believed that the Native Americans would diminish the populations of the fish. The first season the Native Americans were able to fish was in 1989, by 1991 contention between the groups was strong. They held protests at boat landings, demanding that Native Americans be forced to fish under the same rules as them (Revolvy, LLC). Protesters would harass Native Americans at boat landings, chanting racial slurs and throwing rocks. Some would go even as far to dispatch their boats and drive in circles around the Native Americans as they were trying to spear walleye. Riot police would need to be dispatched to the landings, to keep them from getting out of hand. Eventually the protesters would hurt themselves and lose their respectability.

By 1991, beginning the third season of Native Americans being able to spear walleye, protests were getting out of hand. There were now racial chants, gunshots, bombings, constant rock throwing and the use of slingshots (Revolvy, LLC).  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission reported that the Ojibwe speared only 3% of the walleye in treaty-ceded territory [each season]” (Revolvy, LLC). Due to these reports and their radical actions, the racially motivated group was subsiding, many other Wisconsin residents despised them because of their mistreatment towards the Native Americans. There were several other fronts trying to end the protests, a judge issued an injunction against the protesters for violating the Native Americans rights (Revolvy, LLC). Along with these, the State Legislature began making public schools teach about what happened to Native Americans over a century ago, about how they were cheated and forced off their lands (Revolvy, LLC). During and after the 1991 season, the Wisconsin protesters slowly gave up and allowed the Native Americans to fish in peace.

Between now and 19th century, a lot has changed for the Native Americans. Life was flipped completely upside down, making them move and change the way they live. People from the other side of the world, coming in and controlling what they are supposed to do, that take their land. Native Americans have faced a lot of hardships, more than most people have today. In all of the land the U.S required, in the same treaties they gave Native Americans the right to hunt and fish on what they gave up. The United States still has the lands, Native Americans should still get to hunt and fish on what they lost.

Works Cited

“1837 Treaty with the Chippewa - Minnesota DNR.” Minnesota DNR - MN Department of Natural Resources, www.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/laws_treaties/1837/index.html.

“Minnesota Treaties.” Andrew Myrick | The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, www.usdakotawar.org/history/treaties/minnesota-treaties.

Revolvy, LLC. “‘Wisconsin Walleye War’ on Revolvy.com.” Trivia Quizzes, www.revolvy.com/page/Wisconsin-Walleye-War.

“Title Page.” CONTENTdm, dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/collection/kapplers/id/25853/rec/1.