Meryl Larson
April 23, Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do you think that the tribes placed so much faith in agreements made with the president?
   
   
2. Why do you think that treaty language stipulates that the rights will be guaranteed “during the pleasure” of the President of the United States? Do you think that chiefs questioned the language?
   
   
3. The Mille Lacs band had a pretty solid idea of what they took the treaty to mean. In retrospect, do you think they would have changed or made any specific issues explicit?
   
   
4. Resources were abundant at the time of the treaty signing so the use of resources by non-Indians was not addressed. Do you think that the lack of foresight on the part of the Federal Government was intentional?
   
   
5. Question 7 states that the perception of the Mille Lacs people often reflected the interests of the outsiders.
   
   
6. Can you think of any non-Indian parties that may have viewed the Indians as equals rather than a source of income, resources, or potential religious converts?
   
   
7. Do you think that the Chippewas’ conflict with the Dakota was good for relations with non-Indians or bad? Had the Removal Order not been a failure and all Wisconsin tribes had been removed to Minnesota, do you think that Minnesota tribes would have eventually been subject to another removal order?
   
8. Tribal members feel that their right to fish the lake is necessary to their survival. Non-Indian members of the community feel that the fishing regulations allow their businesses to compete well economically and sustain recreational fishing interests. Both clearly feel their survival is dependent upon the lake, so which party is right and which is wrong?

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