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Medicine Rock and Strawberry Island are two of the most sacred sites on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation in Wisconsin.
Recently, there have been multiple reports of disrespectful and destructive behavior at both places by non-Native people.
WXPR’s Hannah Davis-Reid talked to elders in the Lac du Flambeau community about the history and significance of the places.
Medicine Rock and Strawberry Island on Flambeau Lake are two of the most sacred places on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation.
Medicine Rock, or Gichi Mashkiki in Ojibwe, has been held sacred for generations, since Chief Kishkemun first brought the band to the area in 1745.
He told his people that as long as they took care of and protected this rock, they’d be here.
Carol Brown is an elder in the community and Chief Kishkemun’s descendent on her father’s side.
“It’s not a place for parties. It’s not a place for picnics, although it’s beautiful. And it’s got a sandbar,” she explained.
Strawberry Island, whose artifacts and remains have been dated as far back as 200 BC, is both the site of the last territorial battle between the Ojibwe and the Sioux in 1745, as well as a coerced land sale between the US government and the Ojibwe.
In 1887, the Dawes Act employed a “divide and conquer” strategy to assimilate Native communities by breaking down communally owned tribal land and parceling it out to individual tribal members who needed money to survive and ended up selling their land to homesteaders.
Strawberry Island was eventually sold to the Mills family, who got approval for a subdivision plat on the island, which the tribe successfully fought against in court.
Eventually in 2014, the tribe bought Strawberry Island and since then, they’ve kept it as a protected area, strictly not to disturbed.
“Our elders and our before then have have told us ‘don’t go on to the island, you need to respect that area. That’s where spirits lie.’ And we’ve always respected that.”
In a press release, the tribe said they’re seeking solutions to avoid this issue in the future.
(Courtesy Kit Carson Electric Cooperative)
Tribal Communities in the Mountain West will receive millions of dollars to invest in climate resiliency efforts and clean energy.
Yvette Fernandez reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Tribal Communities across the country are being allocated $45 billion for “climate resiliency”.
This includes big projects such as improving community electric grids and creating solar, wind, and battery storage. It also includes providing households as much as $14,000 to upgrade appliances, says the Department of Energy’s Matthew Dannenberg.
“As our planet continues to warm, it is vital that access to clean energy, climate resiliency is available to everyone and that tribes are not left behind.”
Dannenberg says these funds also represent jobs and ensure decisions are being made with cultural awareness.
The funds come from a variety of federal climate initiatives such as the American Rescue Plan and Justice 40, which calls for allocating at least 40% of climate funds for tribes and other disenfranchised communities.
U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Jagger, Rural Rapid Response Team Leader and a critical care nurse, reviews patient charts while working in the COVID-19 ward at the Northern Navajo Medical Center, Shiprock, N.M., Dec. 23, 2020. (Photo: Spc. Ashunteia Smith / U.S. Army)
The Navajo Nation Department of Health is recommending the use of masks indoors due to COVID-19.
According to the department, the tribe is seeing a slight uptick of COVID cases on the reservation.
The department has issued a COVID-19 health advisory notice and is asking people to take protective measures, which include COVID vaccinations, and mask use.
Some hospitals on the reservation have resumed requiring masks in their facilities.
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