John Morrin, a member of the Grand Portage Tribal Council and William “Bill” Latady, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Bois Forte Heritage Museum, will give an overview of the 1854 Treaty on Tuesday, June 5, at 5 p.m. in the Cook County Courthouse commissioners room.
Through articles of the 1854 treaty, reservations for the Ojibwe people were created in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as two in Minnesota, the Fond du Lac reservation and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation.
The 1854 Treaty Authority is a tribal organization created by Boise Forte Band of Chippewa and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to manage and protect treaty rights and resources in territory ceded to the United States by the Treaty of September 30, 1854. Because the right to hunt and fish was expressly reserved in the treaty, the bands have authorized the authority to regulate member activities in the Ceded Territory and manage the resources for subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering.
However, what drove the signing of the 1854 treaty? Did the discovery of copper on the North Shore of Lake Superior in 1848 have anything to do with the treaty? Did mining companies pressure the federal government to open the area for mining? The only way for that to occur was for the federal government to agree to have the Ojibwe cede their lands through a treaty.
Moreover, how has the treaty worked for the bands? Come and find out on Tuesday night. Should be interesting and you might learn something new.
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