Video of Anishinaabe Microwave

While the Human Powered production team visited the Red Cliff Reservation, with Edwina Buffalo-Reyes (Assistant Tribal Historic Preservation Officer) and Alex Breslav (Indigenous Arts and Sciences Coordinator) demonstrated how to use hot rocks to cook in a cedar log. They prepared a meal of Lake Superior trout, wild rice, wild ramps (onions), and other wild greens. Marvin Defoe likes to call it an Anishinaabe microwave and uses this demonstration as a way to connect people today with technologies used by people in the Great Lakes region for over 5,000 years.

This video was recorded by Stanley Schrock, Red Cliff Tribal Communications Manager, in May 2021.

Act 31

To learn more about Act 31, a state law passed in 1989 that requires that all students in Wisconsin learn about the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of Wisconsin's federally recognized tribes, check out these resources and this book by JP Leary. Leary is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Education Center for First Nations Studies.

Frog Bay Tribal National Park

Frog Bay Tribal National Park (FBTNP) is the first tribal national park in the United States. The park is managed by Red Cliff’s Treaty Natural Resources Division and has carefully planned infrastructure with respect to the sensitive habitats within the park. This includes  1.7 miles of trails and interpretive signs.

Red Cliff puts special emphasis on the sustainable management of natural resources, both on the Reservation and in the Chippewa ceded territories. Frog Bay Tribal National Park permanently protects 175 acres of rare boreal forest, the lower estuary and mouth of Frog Creek, and an undeveloped portion of the Lake Superior shoreline.

Frog Bay Tribal Park is open to visitors. However, it is located within the larger Frog Creek Conservation Management Area. In order to preserve cultural and historical use of this special place, the Conservation Management Area is accessible only to tribal members.

Learn more about Frog Bay Tribal National Park here.

Timeline of Anishinaabe Treaty Rights in the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission is commonly known by its acronym, GLIFWC. GLIFWC represents eleven Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan who signed the Treaties of 1837, 1842, and 1854 with the United States government.

This map shows the land that the tribes ceded, or sold, in northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. In the Treaties, tribal members retained the rights to hunt, fish, and gather in the ceded territories. Check out this guide to understanding Ojibwe Treaty Rights.

Additional resources from Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Commission include a collection of short videos.

You can print out the poster, pictured above, or order a copy, along with language resources, a cookbook and other books, and additional posters here.

Whose land do you live on?

Check out this TikTok from Love Wisconsin producer Ma'iingan and follow Love Wisconsin on TikTok!

Each of the six Ojibwe bands in Wisconsin has a reservation.

By the time the treaty lands of 1825 were established, the Ojibwe, Menominee, Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk had ceded the lands that eventually became the state of Wisconsin. During that same decade, the Oneida and Mohican (Stockbridge-Munsee Bands) resettled in Wisconsin from New York State. Today Wisconsin has more reservations and tribal lands than any other state east of the Mississippi River. Each Nation has its own unique history, traditions, and rituals.

This interactive map shows the tribal lands and treaty lands in the Northern Great Lakes. It is part of The Ways: Great Lakes Native Culture & Language, an online educational resource for 6-12 grade students that features videos and digital media exploring contemporary Native culture and language. The stories center on Native communities around the Northern Great Lakes, including a story about commercial fishermen from the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The resources were developed by PBS Wisconsin Education to support educators in meeting the requirements of Wisconsin Act 31.

The Ways is a great place to start for information about modern Native identity and communities, as well as historical context.