Chantal Norrgard - Seasons of Change: Labor, Treaty Rights, and Ojibwe Nationhood

Seasons of Change

Publication of this book was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

2014 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Set in Utopia by codeMantra
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Norrgard, Chantal.
Seasons of change : labor, treaty rights, and Ojibwe nationhood / Chantal Norrgard.
pages cm. (First peoples: New directions in indigenous studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4696-1729-9 (pbk : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4696-1730-5 (ebook)
1. Ojibwa IndiansHistory. 2. Ojibwa IndiansEmployment. 3. Ojibwa IndiansGovernment relations. I. Title.
E 99. C 6 N 64 2014
977.00497333dc23
2013047868

18 17 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1

For Lorraine and Phillip Norrgard

1 / From Berries to Orchards
The Transformation of Gathering

2 / They Cant Arrest Me. We Got Treaty Rights!
Criminalizing Hunting and Trapping

3 / Capital and Commercialization
The Struggle to Fish

4 / From Landlords to Laborers
Work in the Lumber Industry

5 / Tourist Colonialism
Reinventing the Wilderness and Redefining Labor

A section of illustrations begins on page

A map of reservations and towns in the Lake Superior region appears on page

This book is the culmination of a long journey that would not have been possible without the support of many people to whom I am incredibly indebted and appreciative. First and foremost, I must thank the Ojibwe people of the Grand Portage, Fond du Lac, Red Cliff, and Bad River communities whose stories inspired me to write this bookchi miigwetch.

The framework of this project began to take shape while I was a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. I was fortunate to work with Jean OBrien, a dedicated adviser whose positive guidance has lead me to become the scholar and professional I am today. I thank her for her advice, time, and care, all of which have played a vital role in shaping this book. It was through an appointment as a research assistant under David Chang that I first learned about the craft of researching, writing, and revising a manuscript. I am grateful for his willingness to read multiple drafts and his insightful feedback on my work throughout all stages of this project. Brenda Child imparted her extensive knowledge of Ojibwe history, and her encouragement led me to consider the importance of the everyday experiences of the people I was writing about and why this history continues to matter to Ojibwe communities. Several other faculty members at the University of Minnesota had a hand in shaping the ideas that comprise this book and read chapters. Patricia Albers encouraged me to think further about the specific dynamics that led Native people to seek work in the American labor market and the consequences of how they have been perceived as workers; John Nichols inspired me to explore the multifaceted definitions of labor in Ojibwe communities; Barbara Welke encouraged me to speak to American Labor history more broadly; and David Wilkins reminded me of the important role the struggle for sovereignty played in shaping American Indian economic actions. At Minnesota, I was also fortunate to be a part of a talented cohort of graduate students in the history department and American Indian workshop. I would especially like to thank Sarah Crabtree, Jill Doerfler, Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark, Jenny Tone Pah Hote, and Keith Richotte for the rich intellectual exchanges we shared as peers, as well as their humor and their friendship.

Internships at the Madeline Island Museum and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) provided me with essential insight into the history of the Lake Superior region and importance of treaty rights in Ojibwe communities. Steve Cotherman shared a great of information about the local history of the area and has continued to express enthusiasm for my work and my general progress. The staff at GLIFWC shared their invaluable knowledge, and Sue Erickson assigned me terrific projects that enabled me to engage further with Ojibwe history and culture and to learn more about the surrounding communities. Thomas Vennum Jr. also took the time to discuss his insights and experiences while I was working at the museum.

A predoctoral fellowship in American Indian Studies at Michigan State University allowed me to complete a draft of the manuscript. Susan Krouse, the director of American Indian Studies and her husband, Ned Krouse, provided endless support and a home away from home while I was living in East Lansing. Sadly, Susan passed away before the completion of this book. I will always be grateful for her kindness and guidance. I was welcomed by many other faculty members at MSU who were generous with their time and knowledge. They include Nancy DeJoy, Heather Howard, Kimberli Lee, William Lovis, Dylan Miner, Mindy Morgan, John Norder, and Susan Sleeper Smith.

A postdoctoral teaching fellowship at Lawrence University also enabled to me to complete my book proposal and to begin revising my manuscript. I would like to thank Peter Blitstein, Dominica Chang, Paul Cohen, Carla Daughtry, Jake Frederick, Karen Hoffman, Brigetta Miller, Jerald Podair, Stewart Purkey, Monica Rico, Asha Srinivasan, and Lifongo Vetinde for welcoming me into the Lawrence community and for their encouragement. Through the Fellows Program I also had the opportunity to develop wonderful friendships with Siobhan Brooks, Sonja Downing, Alison Guenther Pal, Nathan Hanna, and John Mayrose.

As a visiting assistant professor at Mount Holyoke College, I was fortunate to get to know a number of gifted scholars. Faculty in the history department offered support and advice that was indispensable in the process of making revisions to the manuscript. Fellow members of the Crossroads in the Studies of the Americas Colloquia engaged in rich intellectual discussions about comparative aspects of indigenous history and provided helpful feedback on Chapter 1. I am also grateful to have been invited to the meetings of the Five College Native American Studies Program. I would like to thank Kathleen Brown-Perez, Laura Furlan, Neal Salisbury, and Lauret Savoy in particular for welcoming me. It would have taken me much longer to finish revisions to the manuscript if I had not had the members of my writing group at the Five Colleges to cheerfully and persistently push me along. For this, I thank Jennifer Fronc, Andrea King, Barbara Krauthamer, and Edward Melillo, Dawn Peterson, and Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor.

At Northland College, Kelly La Venture and Clayton Russell offered vital support and encouragement during the final stages of revising the manuscript. Erica Hannickel also provided extremely helpful feedback on the introduction, and I thank her for the engaging discussions about American history, teaching, and the process of writing a book.

I have benefited greatly from being a part of the vibrant community of scholars in the field of Native American and Indigenous Studies. As a graduate student, I had the privilege of working with an array of leading scholars through the Committee on Institutional CooperationAmerican Indian Consortium (CIC-AIS). Thank you to Philip Deloria, Gregory Dowd, Raymond Fogelson, Brian Hosmer, Larry Nesper, and Jacki Rand for listening to my presentations and commenting on parts of my chapters in their very early stages at the consortium meetings. I also developed wonderful friendships through the CIC-AIS with Qwo-Li Driskill, Angela Haas, John Low, Melissa Rinehart, Joseph Genetin-Pilawa, and Cristina Stanciu. I am fortunate to know such talented young scholars.