Emma Lastine
Discussion Leader
Chippewa and Ottawa Treaty Rights

Questions

1. What do you think were some of the obstacles that caused the legal status of the great lakes fishery to remain unclear between 1973 and 1985?

2. What were some of the reasons that tribes were unable to control many fishermen? What were some of the loopholes fishermen had found?

3. What kind of incentives do you think tribes could have offered their fishermen to encourage them to follow regulations?

4. Why do you think State officials and sportsmen were unable to see the underlying need for Indians to fish?

5. Do you think sports fishermen were more worried about the loss of a leisurely activity or rather the potential economic losses to the sport as a direct result of gill-netting?

6. Who do you sympathies with more, the Indians or the sport fishermen?

7. This reading gives the impression that Indians didn’t care about sustaining the population, do you think this is true?

8. Although not described in the reading, do you feel that Sheppard was ok in publishing the fictional description of Judge Fox’s murder by sportsmen?

9. What do you think sport fishermen hoped to accomplish by resorting to violence?

10. Do you think the prejudices towards Indians with respect to treaty-rights fishing still exist today?

Return to home page