Indigenous Sovereignty
1842 Treaty Territory of the Anishinaabe
Copperwood is located firmly in 1842 Treaty Territory; both its development and operation will pose a real and significant threat to multiple treaty resources, most crucially, Lake Superior, which connects Anishinaabe communities in multiple states and countries.
Woodland Living
The Birch Bark Canoe
The birch bark canoe made rivers and lakes an asset to transportation rather than an obstacle. Lake Superior itself was a highway, canoes often traveling 40 miles, or more, in a day.
When a canoe was to be constructed, a suitable tree was selected. After appropriate prayers, and with great ceremony, the tree was felled. This was the only time that a birch tree would be destroyed for its bark. Birch bark was plentiful, but it was never wasted. Leftover pieces were stored or carried and would certainly be used later on.
A House for All Seasons
Houses were fashioned using a frame of bent saplings secured with cord made from the tough inner bark of basswood and cedar trees. Bark from cedar or elm covered the sides. Apakwas—pieces of birch bark sewn together in rolls— made the roof watertight. A center smoke hole allowed a small fire to be kept in the wigwam. Around the fireplace, tightly woven mats of basswood bark carpeted the floor. Caribou and bear hides were used for blankets, and for a door. A different wigwam was built for winter use. It was similar, but contained a thick insulating layer of cattail mats. Summer or winter, rain or snow, these dwellings were durable, dry and secure.
Maple: The Sugarbush
As early as mid-March, and once free of winter's grip, people were again on the move. Winter lodges were cheerfully abandoned for the maple groves of the traditional "sugarbush." The maples were tapped for their sap which would then be rendered into either granulated sugar, hard candy-like cakes, or a soft, chewy gum. These were lengthy procedures and necessitated the construction of many birch bark containers, wooden taps and ladles, a rendering lodge, and special granulating troughs. Coming on the heels of winter, sugar-making was a festive time for the woodland people, and sugar was a crucial part of their diet.
Summer Berries
During late summer, when various berries and nuts were harvested, the villages were again deserted. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, currants, thimbleberries and acorns— all were taken in season. Each village had its hereditary berry harvest area which was vigilantly guarded against raids by marauding bears, flocks of birds, and even hungry neighbors. Entire villages camped out at the berry patch until the harvest was complete.
Hunting and Fishing
Any game whether trapped, speared or shot with arrows was made use of. Woodland caribou, absent from the UP since the 1800s, was particularly valued for its large size and fine hide. Black bear, perhaps the most highly prized animal of all, has always been abundant in the Porcupine Mountains. Bear fat was considered a delicacy, and all parts of the animal were eaten or used. A bear-claw necklace meant that the wearer was a skilled hunter who was favored by the spirits.
Fishing was another activity heavily engaged in by Upper Peninsula tribes. Credited with independent invention of the gill net, the Ojibwa ate fish whenever it was available, and often speared fish through holes in the ice during winter.
Anishinaabe Lore
During long winter nights, when families were confined to their lodges, story-telling was a major pastime. Importantly, stories allowed parents to pass on to their children the legends and customs of the Ojibwa people. Though many of these legends have been lost, a large number have been recorded and preserved. The oldest collection is "Algic Researches," published in 1839 by Henry Schoolcraft, husband to the granddaughter of Waub Ojeeg, chief of the Porcupine Mountains and Apostle Island Ojibwa.
The Song of Manabezho
A poet, inspired by Schoolcraft's writings, based a popular work upon them. Using the mythological figure, Menaboju (Manabezho), as his focal point, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow created an epic poem, "The Song of Hiawatha."
The Wisconsin Death March
Removal of the Ojibwa population from Michigan and Wisconsin was at last authorized by President Zachary Taylor in February of 1850. The order was met with determined opposition by both native tribes and by area whites who employed the tribesmen as fishers, sailors, guides and hunters. A groundswell of support for the Indian cause arose and was carried east by newspapers of the day. Unfortunately, by the time a petition to abandon the removal order arrived in Washington, president Taylor had died, and plans to move the annual annuities payment farther west were already under way. The debacle that resulted came to be known as the Wisconsin Death March.
The autumn annuity payment of 1850 required the Ojibwa to journey 300 miles west of La Pointe, to Sandy Lake, on the Mississippi River. There the tribes were forced to endure inadequate conditions for six weeks only to find that congress had failed the appropriate funds. Ojibwa families had no choice but to head back home midwinter, and on foot as most had, by now, been forced to burn canoes and belongings as fuel. Over 400 perished en route, an estimated 12% of the tribal population.
Resilience in the 21st Century
The descendants of Michigan's Ojibwa Nation are still here. The Death March aside, there was never any Indian War, Trail of Tears or any other official relocation of Native Americans in Upper Peninsula. The Ojibwa tended to find work out-of-doors, in industries such as logging and commercial fishing. They continue to live close to the land.