Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

http://redcliff-nsn.gov/Heritage&Culture/heritage.htm

The website which I chose is devoted to the heritage of The Red Cliff. The website explains how “the Red Cliff Reservation was created through a series of treaties between the U.S. Government and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (Red Cliff Band), the most recent being the treaty of 1854.” The reservation on which the Native Americans of the Red Cliff Band are located at is “Bayfield Peninsula, on the shores of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin.” The population size of the reservation is around 924 of primarily naive Americans.

The history of the Red cliff band is that in 1854 the Commissioner of Indian Affairs wanted the Chippewa Indians to give up their titles on their land on Lake Superior, this called for a treaty in which several Ojibwe chiefs, from which the Red Cliff band derives from were involved in the signing of it. Despite mentioning the treaty the website fails to go in to any great detail, so after further research I discovered the agreements of the Treaty of La Pointe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_La_Pointe the map clearly shows the “land cession area” despite seding their land tribes still retain hunting, fishing and gathering rights on for this region.

Through the establishment of a tribe council theses rights and well being of the tribe are protected. Their mission statement is to “promote, plan and provide for the health, welfare, education, environmental protection, cultural preservation and economic well being of Tribal Members and to protect Treaty Rights now and in the future." The origins and history of the Red Cliff Tribal Council are explained, this idea of a council shows the tribes conformity to US government regulations and like the cession of their land the control of the US over Native American tribes is shown.

The Red cliff tribe are seen to have strong values on education as shown on the website. Within the website there is a direct link to Bayfield School which is named “best small school in Wisconsin.” Within the constitution and bylaws of the government it states that “We the members of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in the State of Wisconsin, in order to re-establish our tribal organization; to conserve our tribal property; to develop our common resources; to promote the welfare of ourselves and our descendants; to form business and other organizations; to enjoy certain rights of home rule; and to provide for our people education in vocational and trade schools and institutions of higher learning, do ordain and establish this constitution and by-laws.” This showing that they are going against many of the stereotypes that Native Americans posses and are prosperous and despite maintaining their tradition heritage they want to embrace Americas strong values on work and education.