Treaties Matter on display at the Cook County Courthouse

The Cook County Courthouse has 20 large posters on exhibit about treaties between the U.S. government and indigenous tribes. The exhibit will be at the courthouse until December 31. Staff photo Brian Larsen

The Cook County Commissioners in partnership with the Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council are hosting the ‘Treaties Matter’ exhibit on the first and second floors of the Cook County Courthouse through December 31.

Following display at the courthouse, the 20-poster exhibit will travel to Grand Portage for visitors to view at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino. The Treaties Matter exhibit, also available virtually at treatiesmatter.org, is meant to educate on, “how Dakota and Ojibwe treaties with the U.S. government affected the lands and lifeways of the Indigenous peoples of the place now called Minnesota and why these binding agreements between nations still matter today.” The exhibit is sponsored by the Minnesota Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment; the Indian Affairs Council, and the Smithsonian, among other entities.

Visitors to the exhibit must wear face coverings in the courthouse pursuant to county policy and are encouraged to limit group size to reduce the chance of transmission of COVID-19.