WISCONSIN STORIES IS A PARTNERSHIP
OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN
AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION.
Kmetz: LOOKING AROUND THIS ROOM REMINDS US
THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LIVING IN WISCONSIN
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, BEFORE IT EVEN WAS WISCONSIN.
HI, EVERYBODY, 'M DEBBIE KMETZ.
AND I'M TRACY WILL.
JUST AS INDIVIDUAL LIVES CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A JOURNEY
SO DO ENTIRE PEOPLES
TRAVEL A COMMON JOURNEY THROUGH TIME.
AND LIKE MANY JOURNEYS
THERE CAN BE CHALLENGES, AND EVEN TRAGEDY, ALONG THE WAY.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE EUROPEANS IN THIS LAND CREATED AN UPHEAVAL
THAT ULTIMATELY THREATENED THE VERY EXISTENCE
OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS HERE.
BUT THEIR ENDURING PRESENCE IN WISCONSIN TODAY
IS HAPPY TESTIMONY
THAT THE NATIVE AMERICAN JOURNEY IS, IN FACT, ONGOING.
"NATIVE JOURNEYS," TONIGHT, ON WISCONSIN STORIES.
MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES
IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY
THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION
PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON
AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.
Harry Miller: WE HAVE SO MANY DOCUMENTARY SOURCES IN OUR HOLDINGS.
BUT THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF THINGS
THAT ARE MOVING JUST TO LOOK AT, JUST TO HOLD IN YOUR HANDS.
THIS IS ONE OF THEM
BECAUSE IT'S SO UNIQUE AND SO RARE.
THE DOCUMENT WAS PUT TOGETHER IN THE WINTER OF 1864
IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN
AT ESSENTIALLY, A MEETING OF CHIEFS
AND IN THE TERMINOLOGY OF THE DAY, "HEAD MEN"
OF SOME OF THE CHIPPEWA BANDS.
THE PURPOSE WAS TO TAKE THIS DOCUMENT TO WASHINGTON, D.C.
TO PRESENT IT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO SEEK REDRESS FOR THE GRIEVANCES LISTED.
THE DIFFERENT BANDS OF CHIPPEWA
SIGNED A SERIES OF TREATIES WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND THE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION OVER THESE TREATIES
IS NOT SOMETHING NEW.
IT'S NOT A PHENOMENON OF THE 1990s
AND TREATY RIGHTS AND FISHING RIGHTS ISSUES.
THE CONTROVERSY OVER THESE TREATIES
PROBABLY DATES FROM ABOUT THE DAY AFTER THEY WERE SIGNED.
THE PRESENTATION IS IN A TWO-COLUMN FORMAT.
WE HAVE CHIPPEWA LANGUAGE IN THE LEFT-HAND COLUMN
AND THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION, PASSAGE-FOR-PASSAGE
PARAGRAPH-FOR-PARAGRAPH, IN THE RIGHT-HAND COLUMN.
IT'S REALLY INTRIGUING.
DO YOU HAVE MANY DOCUMENTS LIKE THIS IN THE COLLECTION ?
Miller: OUR HOLDINGS HAVE A GOOD DEAL OF INFORMATION
ON WISCONSIN INDIANS.
BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT MATERIAL
IS WHITE OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION.
WHAT MAKES THE DOCUMENT SO VALUABLE
IS IT IS THE CHIPPEWA
SPEAKING TO THESE ISSUES IN THEIR OWN WORDS.
WHAT DOES THIS SAY, HERE ?
Will: "YOUR GREAT FATHER
HAS ALSO REMOVED YOUR PAYMENT TO THE ST. PETER RIVER..."
Miller: SOME OF THE TREATIES CALLED FOR CERTAIN PAYMENTS TO BE MADE.
Will: "SANDY LAKE WILL BE THE PLACE
"TO RECEIVE YOUR PAYMENT HEREAFTER.
"EVERY INDIAN LIVING IN WISCONSIN
"AS WELL AS IN MICHIGAN
"WERE SURPRISED AND WONDERED VERY MUCH
THAT THERE SHOULD BE SUCH A WORD COME FROM THEIR GREAT FATHER..."
OF COURSE, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THIS INCREDIBLE, TRAGIC
MARCH TO SANDY LAKE
TO RECEIVE PAYMENTS THAT NEVER CAME.
THERE'S LA POINTE, RIGHT THERE
MARKED "LA POINTE," OR "MAGDALEN."
AND THIS WAS THE PLACE
THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING THEIR PAYMENTS
UP UNTIL THAT TIME.
THEN, THEY WERE REMOVED ALL THE WAY OVER TO SANDY LAKE
WHICH IS WHERE, AT ONE OF THESE TRADING POSTS
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE THEIR PAYMENTS.
Kmetz: WOULD YOU TELL ME THE STORY OF THE SANDY LAKE TRAGEDY ?
James Schlender: INDIANS RECEIVED ANNUITIES
FROM THE PLACE CALLED LA POINTE, ON MADELINE ISLAND.
FOR THE BANDS IN THE INTERIOR OF WISCONSIN
THAT WAS A VERY CONVENIENT PLACE FOR THEM.
THEN, IN 1849
THE MINNESOTA TERRITORIAL GOVERNOR, RAMSEY
ALONG WITH THE LA POINTE SUB-AGENT--
THEY CONCOCTED A PLAN
TO HAVE THE CHIPPEWAS TRAVEL TO SANDY LAKE
WHICH IS IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA
AND THEN TRAP THEM THERE, ACCORDING TO A LAW
THAT WAS KNOWN AS THE LAW OF REMOVAL.
THE OJIBWE PEOPLE THAT WERE IN WISCONSIN--
ONE, WERE NOT SUBJECTED TO THE LAW.
IT WAS NOT A PART OF THEIR TREATY THAT THEY SIGNED IN 1837.
AND SO, ANY REMOVAL EFFORTS
THAT WERE BEING FORCED UPON THEM BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
WERE ILLEGAL TO START WITH.
BUT DESPITE THAT
RAMSEY AND WATROUS
SAID THAT THEY WOULD PAY THE ANNUITIES AT SANDY LAKE
IN OCTOBER OF 1850.
AND SO, PEOPLE HAD TO FORGO THE RICE HARVEST
AND START OUT EARLY TO MAKE THAT LONG TRIP BY CANOE
ONLY TO FIND OUT
THAT THERE WERE NO ANNUITIES THERE.
THERE WERE NO TRADE GOODS, NO MONEY.
CONGRESS WAS LATE IN APPROPRIATING THE MONEY.
AND THE FOODSTUFFS THAT THEY HAD
SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF A FLOOD.
AND SO, THEY WERE WET AND THEY WERE ROTTEN.
PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO EAT THAT ROTTEN FOOD
AND BECAME SICK AS A RESULT OF THAT.
OF THE 4,000 THAT WERE THERE
ABOUT 170 OF THEM PERISHED.
AND NOW, IT'S LATE NOVEMBER AND WINTER HAS ALREADY ARRIVED.
IN FACT, ALL OF THE RIVERS HAVE FROZEN.
SO, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM
TO USE THEIR CANOES TO GO BACK HOME.
WITHOUT PROPER CLOTHING, POOR DIET
THEY TREK BACK OVERLAND.
AND IN THAT PROCESS
GOING BACK TO WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS WISCONSIN
230 MORE OJIBWE PEOPLE DIED ALONG THAT ROUTE.
AND SO, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE
TO COMMEMORATE THAT EVENT BY PUTTING UP A MEMORIAL
THAT NOT ONLY INDIAN PEOPLE
BUT NON-INDIAN PEOPLE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK AT
AND BE REMINDED OF WHAT HAPPENED THERE.
Kmetz: TELL ME ABOUT THE MEMORIAL.
Schlender: IT'S A TWO-TON BOULDER.
AND WE CUT ONE END OFF, SO IT'S FLAT.
AND THE LARGER PORTION OF THE BOULDER
IS MOUNTED ON TOP OF A CONCRETE PLATFORM
AT SANDY LAKE.
THEN, WITHIN THE MEMORIAL, THERE ARE 400 STONES
COLLECTED BY EACH OF THE MEMBER TRIBES
TO COMMEMORATE THOSE 400 PEOPLE THAT LOST THEIR LIVES.
THE BOTTOM PART OF THE BOULDER
WE'RE PLACING UP AT MADELINE ISLAND
WITH A PLAQUE ON IT THAT COMMEMORATES THE RUN
BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE RUN WILL END.
Kmetz: WHAT WILL THE RUN BE ?
Schlender: A SPIRITUAL RUN, ALMOST LIKE A PRAYER
FROM SANDY LAKE BACK TO MADELINE ISLAND.
Jim Zorn ( reading ): "FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
"WARM GREETINGS
"TO THE MEMBERS OF THE LAKE SUPERIOR CHIPPEWA INDIANS
"AS YOU GATHER TO COMMEMORATE
"THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SANDY LAKE TRAGEDY
"IN MINNESOTA.
"BY COMING TOGETHER TO REMEMBER YOUR ANCESTORS
"WHO LOST THEIR LIVES DURING THIS TERRIBLE EVENT
"YOU ARE BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF HEALING
"OF RECONCILIATION
"AND HELPING A NEW GENERATION OF AMERICANS TO LEARN
"FROM ONE OF OUR COUNTRY'S MOST TRAGIC MISTAKES.
"I JOIN YOU IN PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF YOUR ANCESTORS
"AND I EXTEND BEST WISHES TO ALL FOR A MEANINGFUL CEREMONY.
BILL CLINTON."
I WOULD LIKE EVERYBODY TO KEEP IN MIND
THE PEOPLE THAT PERISHED HERE MANY YEARS AGO.
WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO PRAY FOR OURSELVES.
THIS TIME, WE WANT TO PRAY FOR OUR ANCESTORS THAT DIED HERE.
THIS MEMORIAL, WE WILL CALL IT FROM THIS POINT ON
"MIKWENDAAGOZIWAG"
SO THAT WE WILL NEVER FORGET
AS TO LITERALLY WHAT IT MEANS.
THEY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
EVERY TIME WE DO CEREMONIES
WE REFER TO IT IN THAT MANNER
SO THAT THIS AREA WILL BE KNOWN AS MIKWENDAAGOZIWAG
FROM THIS POINT ON.
TO THE RUNNERS, THE LADIES AND THE MEN
WHO WILL BE TRAVELING FROM HERE TO MADELINE ISLAND
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO TAKE SOME OF THE CEDAR
AND MIX IT WITH THE TOBACCO
SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING
AS YOU'RE WALKING, OR AS YOU'RE RUNNING
BE AWARE THAT WHEN YOU SEE AN ANIMAL
WHEN YOU SEE A BIRD
PLEASE PUT THIS TOBACCO DOWN.
IF YOU SEE THE SKY, AND IT AFFECTS YOU IN A CERTAIN WAY
PUT SOME TOBACCO DOWN.
WHEN YOU HAVE A RECURRING FEELING
WHEN YOU FEEL TOTALLY OVERWHELMED
OR WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING
IF YOU NEED TO CRY, STOP AND CRY.
DON'T HESITATE.
BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE UNDERTAKING ON OUR BEHALF
IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR ANCESTORS.
( drumming )
( car taps horn lightly )
Leo LaFernier: OF COURSE, THE GROUND BEING FROZE
THEY COULDN'T BURY THE BODIES.
THEY WRAPPED THEM IN BIRCH BARK
AND LAID THEM ON THE BANK OVERLOOKING THE LAKE.
WHEN SPRING CAME, AND AFTER THE SNOW THAWED
IT LOOKED JUST LIKE THEY WERE FULL OF SNOW, YET
BECAUSE THERE WERE MANY BODIES WRAPPED IN BIRCH BARK THERE.
Kmetz: JUST WAITING TO BE BURIED.
RIGHT.
ONE MINNESOTA TRIBE THAT DIDN'T HAVE THAT FAR TO TRAVEL--
ENDED UP THAT PARENTS CARRIED TWO FROZEN CHILDREN HOME.
SO, THE RUN IS GOING TO BE A RETURN
FOR SOME OF THOSE THAT WENT THERE AND COULDN'T RETURN.
AND NOT TO GO BACK INTO THAT THING AGAIN
BUT TO USE THAT AS A GUIDE.
THOSE ANCESTORS OF SEVEN GENERATIONS
THEY KIND OF HELD OUR DESTINY IN THEIR HANDS
WHEN THEY PRESERVED THE PRIVILEGE
OF HUNTING, FISHING
AND GATHERING ON THE--
I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 23 MILLION ACRES OF LAND.
AND NOW, WE HAVE TO DO THAT FOR OUR NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS.
( drumming and singing )
Schlender: IN 1851, THEY TRIED AGAIN TO PAY THE ANNUITIES
AT SANDY LAKE.
THE PEOPLE WOULDN'T GO.
AND THEN, IN 1852, CHIEF BUFFALO
FROM RED CLIFF
I THINK HE WAS 92 YEARS OLD
TRAVELED BY CANOE THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES
TO NEW YORK.
AND HE GOT ON THE TRAIN
AND WENT AND SAW THE PRESIDENT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY ASKED THE PRESIDENT
WAS THAT, YOU ASSURED US THAT WE WOULD NEVER BE REMOVED.
AND YET, WE WERE SUBJECT TO THIS REMOVAL EFFORT IN 1850.
WE WILL SIGN ANOTHER TREATY WITH YOU, BUT AS A CONDITION
WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR PERMANENT HOMELANDS IN WISCONSIN.
AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, THEY SIGNED THE 1854 TREATY
WHICH CREATED THE PERMANENT RESERVATION
SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD NEVER HAVE TO FEAR REMOVAL ANYMORE.
( singing )
( single drum beat )
Miller: "OUR GREAT FATHER REQUESTS ME TO SELL HIM MY PINE TIMBER.
"OUR GREAT FATHER IS MIGHTY.
"VERY WELL, I WILL SELL HIM THE PINE TIMBER
"AS HE REQUESTS ME TO
"FROM THE USUAL HEIGHT OF CUTTING A TREE DOWN
"AND UPWARDS TO THE TOP IS WHAT I SELL YOU.
I RESERVE THE ROOT OF THE TREE..."
Will: THEY'LL SELL THE TOP OF THE TREE.
BUT THEY WANT THE ROOTS, THE LAND.
THIS IS REALLY WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO RETAIN.
"THESE, I DO NOT SELL."
Will: BUT IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF WISCONSIN
WHERE AMERICAN SETTLEMENT CAME FIRST
THE LAND HAD ALREADY BEEN LOST.
THE HO CHUNK
AND OTHER TRIBES HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THEIR HOMELANDS.
AND MUSCODA IS, LET ME SEE, RIGHT HERE
ON THE LOWER PART OF WISCONSIN, ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RIVER--
IS WHERE YOU FIND EAGLE TOWNSHIP
WHICH IS THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION
OF INDIAN EFFIGY MOUNDS IN WISCONSIN.
AND WISCONSIN HAS MORE THAN ANYPLACE ELSE.
Robert Birmingham: THESE ARE REMNANTS OF A VERY LARGE MOUND GROUP--
EFFIGY MOUND GROUP--
CONSTRUCTED HERE ALONG THE WISCONSIN RIVER
ABOUT 1,000 YEARS AGO.
YOU CAN STILL SEE A CONICAL MOUND, HERE...
Will: WHAT'S THIS LINEAR MOUND OVER HERE ?
THEODORE LEWIS WAS A LAND SURVEYOR.
HE CAME THROUGH THIS AREA IN THE 1880s
AND MAPPED OUT THIS SPECTACULAR MOUND GROUP.
YOU CAN SEE ALL THE BIRDS...
Will: DOZENS OF THEM.
A HUMAN BEING MOUND, SOME ANIMAL MOUNDS, HERE.
IS THIS THE LINEAR MOUND ?
THAT'S THE LINEAR MOUND WE SEE IN FRONT OF US.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE REST OF THE EFFIGY MOUNDS
HAVE BEEN PLOWED DOWN.
WHAT'S THIS EAGLE VILLAGE ?
WE HELPED THE HO CHUNK SURVEY THIS LAND.
THE HO CHUNK PURCHASED THIS LAND.
AND THEY WERE INTERESTED
IN SEEING WHAT WAS LEFT ON THE LANDSCAPE.
AND WE LOCATED WHAT APPEARS TO BE
A VILLAGE, RIGHT IN THE MIDST
OF, REALLY, ONE OF THE MOST FANTASTIC GROUPS
ON THE WISCONSIN RIVER
IF NOT IN THE WHOLE EFFIGY MOUND DISTRICT.
IT WAS EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR
GIVEN THE FACT THAT THIS PARTICULAR MOUND GROUP
WAS SURROUNDED BY OTHER SPECTACULAR MOUND GROUPS.
TO THE NORTH OF HERE
A PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING
WHEN EXAMINING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
NOTICED A VERY LARGE BIRD MOUND THAT HAD BEEN PLOWED DOWN
BUT YOU COULD STILL SEE A SOIL SHADOW.
AND THAT HAS A WINGSPAN OF A QUARTER OF A MILE.
Will: HUGE !
IN THE 1830s, MOUNDS FROM THE GROUPS IN THIS AREA
WERE FINDING THEIR WAY
EVEN INTO THE DOCUMENTS OF THE SENATE
OF THE UNITED STATES
BECAUSE TRAVELERS WERE WRITING
ABOUT THESE INEXPLICABLE HUGE HUMAN BEING MOUNDS
AND ANIMAL EFFIGIES
THAT WERE IN THIS WISCONSIN TERRITORY.
AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
AND IN FACT, THE EFFIGY MOUND REGION HERE IN WISCONSIN
HAS NO PARALLEL ANYPLACE ELSE IN THE WORLD.
WHAT MADE THESE PEOPLE PUT THEIR BELIEF SYSTEM
SO PROMINENTLY ON THEIR LANDSCAPE ?
I MEAN, IT ONLY LASTED A FEW HUNDRED YEARS.
Will: IT LASTS 300 YEARS, AND THEN DISAPPEARED.
ANY IDEAS ?
WELL, DISAPPEARS ? OR, DID IT DISAPPEAR ?
I MEAN, THE PHYSICAL EXPRESSION OF THE MOUNDS DISAPPEARED
BUT NOT THE BELIEVE SYSTEM, AND NOT THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE.
AND IN FACT, THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF SIMILARITY
BETWEEN THE SYMBOLISM OF THE EFFIGY MOUND GROUPS
AND PEOPLE LIKE THE HO CHUNK, AND OTHER TRIBES, AS WELL.
I BELIEVE THAT THE EFFIGY MOUNDS
HELPED UNIFY THE CONFEDERATION OF PEOPLE
THAT LED TO MODERN HISTORIC TRIBES.
SO, IN THESE MOUNDS
WE MAY, IN FACT, BE SEEING THE FORMATION...
Will: OF THE SPIRITUAL ROOTS OF THE MODERN INDIAN PEOPLE.
EXACTLY RIGHT. WOW !
IT'S AMAZING.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE PLACE.
Will: IN ADDITION TO BEING INCREDIBLE
THIS IS A PLACE
OF SUCH OBVIOUS CULTURAL IMPORTANCE
THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FARM
HAD BEEN IN HIS FAMILY FOR 150 YEARS
FRANK SHADEWALD DECIDED TO SELL HIS LAND
BACK TO THE HO CHUNK NATION.
Nettie Kingsley: IT TAKES SPECIAL PEOPLE TO FIND THESE SPECIAL PLACES.
AND I THINK THAT FRANK IS A VERY SPECIAL PERSON
TO FOLLOW-UP ON IT AND GET THE WORD TO US.
AND I KNOW THAT HE REALLY IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART
OF THE OPERATION DOWN HERE.
Will: WHAT HAS THE EAGLE MOUND SITE NOW BECOME ?
Kingsley: WE HAVE A YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE.
THAT INVOLVES ALL OF OUR HO CHUNK COMMUNITIES.
AND THE STUDENTS THAT ARE HERE, STAY HERE A WEEK.
THEY CAMP OUT IN THE WIGWAMS
AND ARE TAUGHT DIFFERENT CULTURAL THINGS.
A RETREAT, SO TO SPEAK.
I ENJOY THE YOUTH GROUP THEY HAVE DOWN HERE.
I THINK THEY'RE THE NICEST BUNCH OF KIDS
I'VE EVER WORKED WITH.
I USUALLY WORK WITH THEIR CANOE--
WHEN THEY GO CANOEING
I RUN A BOAT, IN CASE THEY TIP OVER.
I PULL THEM OUT.
THEN, I LIKE WORKING WITH THE BUFFALO.
HOW'S IT LOOK ?
One full complement of Ho Chunk bison.
( chuckles ) OKAY.
Gromoff: WELL, COME TOWARDS THE GATE, THEN.
Kingsley: WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN EXPAND THE BUFFALO HERD
TO SEVERAL THOUSAND HEAD.
TO BE ABLE TO FEED OUR TRIBAL MEMBERS
THE KIND OF MEAT THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE BAD FOR THEM.
Gromoff: THEY'RE STILL WILD.
AND THEY CAN RUN UP TO-- ZERO TO 40 IN THREE SECONDS.
YOU CAN'T HERD THEM.
WE TRIED HERDING THEM ONCE.
AND THEY'LL JUST GO AND RUN AROUND YOU AND LAY DOWN.
WE LEARNED THAT WE'VE GOT TO PUT OUR GATES IN THE MIDDLE.
THE CATTLE WILL GO RIGHT TO THE CORNER
THEN THEY'LL GO THROUGH.
THE BISON, ONCE THEY GO TO THE CORNER
THEY FEEL TRAPPED.
SO, WE TRY TO GET OUR GATES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD.
Kingsley: I'M A MEMBER OF THE BUFFALO CLAN.
WE WERE PUT HERE, ACCORDING TO OUR ANCESTORS
TO BE LIKE THE ORATORS, KIND OF LIKE THE TOWN CRIER.
AND IT'S REALLY KIND OF IRONIC HOW I'M LIKE THAT.
( laughter )
Shadewald: I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL TIME FOR THE HO CHUNKS.
THEY'VE TAKEN SOME VERY BAD HITS IN HISTORY IN THE PAST.
AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY, I THINK, TO REBUILD.
AND I THINK THEY'RE DOING IT.
AND THEY'RE DOING IT IN THE RIGHT WAY.
OUR ANCESTORS DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
YOU KNOW, HOW CAN YOU GIVE AWAY
SOMETHING THAT REALLY DIDN'T BELONG TO YOU TO BEGIN WITH
THAT YOU'RE JUST A CARETAKER.
WE LOOK AT LAND AS BEING SUCH--
THAT, WE'RE SLOWLY REGAINING.
AND IT'S THESE KIND OF PLACES, LIKE MUSCODA HERE
THAT ARE COMING BACK TO US.
AND I HAVE A GOOD FEELING THAT
YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR SPECIAL PLACES
ARE GOING TO BE RETURNED.
IT'S TAKING ITS TIME, BUT WE'VE GOT TO BE PATIENT.
THEN, THE RED CLIFF WOULD HAVE BEEN UP HERE
IN THE APOSTLE ISLANDS.
MISSION STATION IS IDENTIFIED HERE.
YEAH, LA POINTE.
I SWEAR THAT SAYS, "POPULATION: 1,000."
EVEN NOW.
( both laugh )
YES, PERHAPS IT WAS IN THE SUMMER
WHEN THE MAP WAS DRAWN.
Kmetz: WHERE ONE JOURNEY ENDED, ANOTHER BEGINS.
MADELINE ISLAND REMAINS A POPULAR PLACE.
AND ONE OF ITS LONGTIME SUMMER RESIDENTS
SMITHSONIAN ETHNOMUSICOLOGIST
THOMAS VENNUM
IS HELPING TO BRING BACK AN OLD TRADITION
TO THE NEARBY OJIBWE COMMUNITY OF RED CLIFF.
HOW WIDESPREAD IS LACROSSE AMONG AMERICAN INDIANS ?
Thomas Vennum: IT WAS PLAYED, PROBABLY
SOME FORM OF IT OR ANOTHER, FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER EAST
THROUGHOUT MOST OF NORTH AMERICA.
I HAVE HERE A GREAT LAKES STICK.
AND THIS IS THE FORM OF THE LACROSSE STICK
THAT WAS TRADITIONALLY PLAYED IN THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES
BY A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
THE GREAT LAKES BALL WAS USUALLY CARVED OUT OF A PINE KNOT.
THEN, IT WOULD BE CHARRED AND SCRAPED
UNTIL IT REACHED THE RIGHT SHAPE.
AND IT MUST HAVE TAKEN A GOOD DEAL OF SKILL
TO REALLY CATCH WITH THIS.
BUT EVERY DESCRIPTION I'VE READ OF THE GREAT LAKES GAME
AND PICTURES I'VE SEEN
AND I'VE SEEN THE OLDER INDIAN PEOPLE PLAY IT
THEY ARE VERY DEFT AT HANDLING THIS.
THEY CAN SCOOP THIS THING UP
AND SWING IT AROUND IN THE AIR LIKE A TROPHY.
I'VE HAD PEOPLE SAY
"WHY DON'T YOU INTRODUCE THE OLD GAME ?"
I THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT JUST TO INTRODUCE THEM TO LACROSSE
AND GET THEM TOSSING THE BALLS AROUND AND ROUGHHOUSING
AND DOING ALL THOSE GOOD THINGS THAT THE GAME HAS.
LACROSSE EQUIPMENT CAN BE INCREASINGLY VERY EXPENSIVE.
YOU KNOW, BY THE TIME YOU'VE BOUGHT
GLOVES AND JERSEYS AND SHOULDER PADS AND A HELMET, AND SO ON
YOU COULD'VE SPENT $400 OR $500.
WE STARTED THIS PROGRAM OUT WITH SOME USED EQUIPMENT.
BUT THEN WE GOT MAJOR NEW EQUIPMENT
AS THE WORD SPREAD AROUND, FROM STICK MAKERS--
AND FROM EQUIPMENT MAKERS, GENERALLY.
AND SO, THESE KIDS ARE PRETTY WELL OUTFITTED.
HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM
TO PICK UP A GAME THAT IS BONA FIDE AMERICAN INDIAN
WHICH WAS PLAYED HERE
LONG BEFORE EUROPEANS CAME ONTO THESE SHORES.
AND IT GIVES THEM, I THINK, A TOUCH FOR THEIR PAST
AND IT ALSO GIVES THEM IDENTITY AS INDIAN KIDS.
THE FACT THAT DAMON IS THEIR COACH IS REALLY, REALLY GOOD
BECAUSE HERE THEY SEE A YOUNG GUY
WHO'S VERY STRONGLY COMMITTED TO THIS THING
AND IS PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
Kmetz: WHERE DID YOU LEARN HOW TO PLAY ?
Damon Sweet-Panek: I PLAYED IN ONEIDA.
I PLAYED FOR THEM FOR ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS
AND THEN MOVED UP HERE.
I'VE ACTUALLY SEEN YOU COACH.
THE KIDS, THEY REALLY SEEM TO LIKE YOU.
( laughs ) REALLY ?
YOU'VE BEEN A PLAYER, BUT HOW DOES IT FEEL COACHING ?
IT'S A LOT DIFFERENT.
IT'S REALLY HARD TO BE ABLE COMMUNICATE DIFFERENT THINGS.
YOU'VE GOT THEM FOR MAYBE ABOUT A MINUTE.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, THEY KIND OF LOSE--
SO, YOU'VE GOT TO JUST MAKE THAT MINUTE WORTH IT.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO A BIG FAKE.
NOT A BIG FAKE.
A LITTLE FAKE, LIKE THAT.
( blows whistle )
Vennum: THE COLLEGE GAME TODAY, FIELD LACROSSE
HAS EVOLVED FROM A STYLE OF LACROSSE
THAT WAS MORE OR LESS CREATED BY CANADIANS
IN MONTREAL IN THE 1860s.
ONCE IT BECAME FIRM IN CANADA
THEN IT WAS ONLY LOGICAL FOR IT TO GROW IN ENGLAND.
AND WHEREVER THE EMPIRE WAS
THEY WOULD BRING CANADIAN PLAYERS TO TOUR.
AND WOULD BRING, USUALLY, AN INDIAN TEAM ALONG WITH THEM.
IT CREATED QUITE A SENSATION IN EUROPE.
WHEN THE EUROPEANS FIRST CAME OVER HERE
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY'D EVER SEEN A TEAM SPORT.
Kmetz: THE GAME THAT YOU'RE PLAYING WITH THE KIDS
HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM TRADITIONAL LACROSSE ?
Sweet-Panek: WELL, THE STICKS ARE DIFFERENT.
THE GOALS, FIELDS AND NUMBER OF PLAYERS ARE DIFFERENT.
IN THE OLD WAY, THEY SAY THAT THERE WEREN'T MANY RULES
THERE WAS KIND OF A CONDUCT THAT YOU WOULD FOLLOW.
ACTUALLY, WHEN WE WENT UP TO LEECH LAKE
THERE WAS A MAN UP THERE
AND HE HAD A SET OF OLD-TIME STICKS.
IT WAS ALL THE KIDS PLAYING OLD-TIME
AND ALL THE COACHES, LIKE FROM MY TEAM AND THEIR TEAM
WERE ALL PLAYING EACH OTHER.
AND THERE'S NO BOUNDARIES.
SO, WHEREVER THE BALL GOES IS WHEREVER YOU GO.
AND DURING THAT GAME, THE BALL WENT INTO THE WOODS
AND ALL THE KIDS WERE JUST CRUISING INTO THE WOODS.
THERE WAS A COUPLE SETS OF BLEACHERS THERE
AND IT WENT UNDERNEATH THE BLEACHERS.
SO, ALL THESE KIDS ARE DIVING THROUGH THE BLEACHERS
AND PUSHING PEOPLE.
ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL WATCHING OUT.
GO ! GO !
Kmetz: WHAT KIND OF DREAMS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE TEAM ?
Sweet-Panek: WELL, IF IT KEEPS ON GOING, THAT WOULD BE THE BEST THING.
AND ALSO, TO BE ABLE TO SPREAD IT AROUND
TO DIFFERENT RESERVATIONS, TO GET OTHER TEAMS PLAYING.
HOW AWARE, DO YOU THINK
THE KIDS THAT YOU'RE COACHING ARE
OF THIS BEING A TRADITIONAL GAME ?
WELL, ACTUALLY, MOST OF THEM
HAVE GREAT-GRANDFATHERS WHO PLAYED IT.
THEY KNOW IT WAS AROUND, AND HAS BEEN HERE A LONG TIME.
DO YOU THINK THEY FEEL LIKE
THEY'RE CONTINUING A TRADITION ?
I HOPE SO.
I THINK THEY DO, THOUGH.
I THINK THAT THEY'RE PROUD OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING
THAT THEY'RE BRINGING IT BACK.
THEY SEEM TO HAVE FUN.
THAT'S THE MAIN ONE, RIGHT THERE.
Miller: WE'VE GOT IS REALLY THE FULL HISTORY OF THE DOCUMENT.
WE HAVE THE DOCUMENT ITSELF.
WE HAVE FURTHER INFORMATION
ON THE BACKGROUND OF THE DOCUMENT
FROM SOMEBODY WHO WAS THERE ON THE SCENE.
AND WE HAVE DRAPER'S ANALYSIS OF IT.
LYMON DRAPER WAS ESSENTIALLY THE FOUNDER
OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
I THINK THESE ARE SOME NOTES THAT HE MADE
AS A KIND OF A FIRST REACTION.
HE WRITES, "THEY MAY HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD
"AND MISCONSTRUED SOME OF THEIR DEALINGS
"AND ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT.
"YET, IT IS TO BE FEARED
"THAT UNCONSCIONABLE AGENTS WITH RASCALLY WAYS
"HAVE OFTEN COMBINED
"TO TRICK THE POOR INDIAN OUT OF HIS HONEST DUES.
"WHETHER THIS IS THE CASE
"WE HAVE NOT THE MEANS OF DETERMINING.
"BUT THE COMPLAINTS OF THE CHIPPEWA
"ACCORDING TO THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MATTER
DESERVE A RECORD..."
DESERVES A RECORD.
"...A FRAGMENT OF THE INDIAN HISTORY."
SO, THIS IS REALLY A FULL AND COMPLETE EXPLANATION
OF A VERY IMPORTANT, HISTORICAL DOCUMENT.
Will: IT'S AN INCREDIBLE COLLECTION.
IN A FEW PAGES, YOU HAVE ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE
AND HISTORICALLY INTERESTING COLLECTIONS THAT YOU HOLD.
Miller: THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF THE HISTORY
OF THE INTER-RELATIONS
OF WHITES AND INDIANS IN WISCONSIN
RIGHT IN THAT 10 OR 12-PAGE DOCUMENT.
A DOCUMENT IN HISTORY. ABSOLUTELY.
Kmetz: TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WISCONSIN'S NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY
AND OTHER WISCONSIN STORIES
BE SURE TO VISIT OUR WEB SITE.
MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES
IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY
THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION
PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON
AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.