Minnesota Red Lake Band of Ojibwe People

I have been looking for information about this particular group of Ojibwe Indians since Professor Yellow Bird talked about the conditions on this reservation that brought him there after the school tragedy occurred in 2005. It is an unbelievably beautiful place and sits near the mouth of the great Mississippi River. There is plenty of information on the web that talks about drugs, gangs, violence, hopelessness, poverty and racism against the people on this reservation.

I discovered a history of resilience, courage, pride and wisdom within the people of this particular area of the earth that I want to share because it is a story that should be heard.

The Red Lake Nation lives on 837,736 acres of land in northern Minnesota that connects up to the Canadian border area. This nation has consistently resisted all attempts at allotment of their land whenever they could using formal rejections and informal methods such as running off surveyors, social workers,and missionaries. Other Minnesota Ojibwe tribal bands failed to do this and as a result, although boundaries are drawn around their reservations, their lands are very heavily checkerboarded by non-Indian ownership. Red Lake alone of all the Minnesota tribes rejected Public Law 280, so unlike other Minnesota reservations, Red Lake retained criminal and civil jurisdiction (except for the federal Major Crimes Act) over its remaining lands and its citizens. Red Lake governs itself and does not belong to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Federation, which has various economic and other powers over its members. The other Ojibwe reservations in Minnesota all belong to the MCT. Red Lake rejected being tied to this federation and goes it alone, though there are many relationships and intermarriages among Anishinaabe peoples of Red Lake and the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (federation). The results of Red Lake's consistent and historical strategies are best seen in comparing the land they have kept to the land other, more cooperative-with-whites tribes have lost.

Economically, the reservation suffers from the usual effects of isolation. At one time they operated a fish marketing co-op that iced, packed and shipped catches of individual and family-group net fishers since 1929. This may have been the oldest Indian-controlled marketing co-op in the western hemisphere. It began well before the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 which Red Lake rejected, as well as any other U.S. governmental action they were able to. The earliest Indian marketing co-ops other than Red Lake began in the Post World War II period. They market only arts and crafts, and are relatively small enterprises.

Fishery nearly failed as a local industry due to the effects of acid rain pollution that killed most of the lakes' whitefish -- but some reductions and control of distant industrial air pollution as well as a hatchery to restock the lake, have helped restore the fish. In 1982 the co-op handled 1,880,671 lbs of fish. This began the period of rebuilding the fish population, which was decimated in the 1970's.
A moratorium eventually had to be placed on the lake because of a declining fish population.

Commercial timberlands occupy 330,000 acres. (Upper and Lower Red Lakes occupy one-third of the total acreage.) For many years the tribe has owned and operated a sawmill, and 2 wood manufacturing plants: the Red Lake Cedar Fence plant and the Red Lake Pre-fab Housing plant.

Wild rice became a commercial tribal enterprise in 1968. There are 300 acres in production of paddy or cultivated-seeded rice, with an estimated 55,000 acres considered potentially suitable for cultivation.

Red Lake is also the first reservation in Minnesota to build an archives-library program to preserve tribal records and historical material.

Tribal leadership during the late 1800's and early 1900's skillfully resisted allotment legislation and held the land intact for the Tribe as a whole. Today the Tribe's Independence Day, July 6th is in honor of the courage of their chiefs in resisting allotment during the negotiations of the 1889 Nelson Act. Only one other tribe in the United States also resisted allotment, the Warm Springs Tribe in Oregon.

The tribal government has full sovereignty over the reservation, subject only to federal legislation specifically intended to deal with Red Lake, which makes it a "closed" reservation. The Tribe has the right to limit who can visit or live on the reservation. It has never been subject to State law.

Printed from http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/mn/redlake.htm

Wild rice is an aquatic grass not related to common rice. Early in the summer, the plants bloom with tiny maroon and gold flowers, and by late summer, their seeds mature into dark brown kernels. Domestic cultivation and combine harvesting of wild rice are relatively recent developments; wild rice is commercially produced as a field crop on about 20,000 acres in Minnesota. For many years, basically all of the wild rice produced in the world came from Minnesota, and most still does. Wild rice often is harvested from lakes in a traditional way, from canoes; people interested in harvesting wild rice in Minnesota must purchase a wild ricing license, similar to a fishing or hunting license. Wild rice grows naturally in the shallow waters of lakes in central and northern Minnesota. For many years, all the wild rice produced in the world came from Minnesota. It is harvested from lakes in the traditional Anishinabe Indian way, from canoes. It is also planted as a farm crop.




Harvesting Wild Rice



I spent about six years living in Fargo, North Dakota when I was young and "wild at heart" at the age of 18 until I was 23 years old. My best friend was a student at Bemidji State University and I was a student at Moorhead State University. Both schools were in Minnesota and each of us had enrolled in the BSW program, which I eventually dropped out of and went on to other things!! I spent a lot of time visiting her in Bemidji and getting to know people from the various Ojibwe reservations in northern Minnesota.
I thought about how I could practice community work at Red Lake. It is clear from the tribe's history of not allowing social workers on their land that I might never be trusted or invited there. The only thing I might be able to do is live and work in the area, where I would hope to get to know people from the local area, or meet relatives or friends that might bring me to community events where I might slowly be accepted. That would all have to take place with a great deal of humility and respect on my part, and I would have to allow events to take their course as the members of the reservation wished, not what I would like to accomplish.

The killing of Derrion Albert

On September 24, a 16 year-old Chicago youth by the name of Derrion Albert was beaten to death in a large street fight at the end of a school day. The brutal death was caught on video by another student. Most of the teenagers involved, about 50 students, attended Christian Fenger Academy High School. According to those who were interviewed, Derrion was drawn into the fight as he walked to his city bus stop and he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were no grudges against him by his attackers. Four teenagers are now being held without bond with first degree murder charges for this killing.
According to the Chicago Tribune, there have been repeated fights on the streets involving Fenger students. The students are specifically from two neighborhoods. One is close to the school, called Roseland or the “ville” and the other is located five miles away, separated by a complex of railroad and industrial complexes. This development is called Altgeld Gardens, and it is the largest public housing project in Chicago. The reason the Altgeld Gardens teenagers are students at this particular school that is so far away is because their local school was transformed into a selective-enrollment military academy by the Chicago Public School board. Little attention was paid to integrating the two groups of students. This is not surprising since the students are from poor African-American communities that no one cares about outside of these neighborhoods until the violence explodes onto the national scene via television or the internet.
Most commentary on the graphic video of Darrion’s murder has focused on the “senselessness” of this brutal act which allowed most people to avoid facing the brutality, violence and horrific poverty that has led to the social collapse of many neighborhoods in the city, all factors in this "senseless death". This particular situation is also intimately connected to governmental policies related to education that have been implemented over many years. Dozens of schools have been closed with a forced displacement of thousands of students into huge consolidated schools, which is the cause of the underlying violence between Altgeld Gardens and Roseland students. At least 5 Chicago teenagers have died and 7 others have been wounded in similar violence since the beginning of the school year a few months ago. It is also important to know that Fenger is one of the worst performing schools in the city with a graduation rate of “33% and only 38% of those that do graduate go on to college” (Fangmann & Spencer, 2009).
The larger crisis confronting Chicago youth involves the social and economic destruction of the working class neighborhoods in the city. The Roseland neighborhood where this murder occurred has an unemployment rate of “19.7%” even before the latest economic crisis. “98.8% of Fenger High School students come from low income families” (Fangmann et al., 2009). There have also been decades of factory closures, decaying public housing with little access to shopping or transportation, and heavy pollution by nearby landfills and toxic facilities in these neighborhoods.

“According to the latest Forbes richest Americans list, there are 18 billionaires with a combined net worth of 35 billion dollars in the Chicago area” (Fangmann et al., 2009).

In a democracy, many people believe that we all receive an equal start in our lives. The truth is that the actual worth of a child depends on what their family status is that includes the wealth of the family, color and ethnic and cultural factors. Those with economic and political power and status in a community or society are the individuals that make the decisions and define who and what is important, who has worth, and who gets labeled or blamed.
As social workers, problem solvers or social movement participants, we should draw on community strengths, engage others to become involved in projects or actions, build relationships to affect change, formulate goals and action plans and include those that are often ignored and oppressed. Community building is essential in creating healthy changes which is a process built on “principles of reciprocity, respect, inclusiveness and accountability” (Hardcastle & Powers, 2004). Asset building is an important theme in revitalization of communities which focuses on strengths and resiliency in the areas of housing, financial resources, and living wages. Community building also includes identifying individual leadership assets, cultural assets and existing community assets in order to affect healing and positive change.

Historical Trauma

Since we are talking in class about adding a definition to Wikipedia, I though I would include some ideas here about some of the effects of historical or generational trauma.



Generational or historical traumas can include such experiences as war, genocide, oppression, poverty, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, loss of parents or siblings, residential schools, institutionalization, alcoholism, and substance abuse. The effects of generational trauma need to be grieved so healing can occur for individuals, families and communities. Otherwise, the effects of unresolved trauma are carried into the next generation. Individuals can suffer from isolation, loss of cultural identity, low self-esteem, hyper-vigilance and the inability to sustain healthy relationships. Families can experience communication breakdown, increased domestic violence, shaming and sexual abuse. The healthy rituals for grieving, celebration, and rites of passage can become lost. Family members become isolated from one another and the community. Community members frequently experience increased apathy, substance abuse, trauma and suicide epidemics among the youth. Signs of lateral violence such as family feuds, religious wars, competitiveness, and gossip can develop between members of the community. This only furthers the isolation and prevents healing. When communities begin to understand the effects of generational trauma, a process of validation and healing can begin which empowers individuals and stops the trauma from being carried into the next generation of families and communities.

Beautiful Experiment

This is an excellent question to ask ourselves. What else are we missing in our daily, rushed, stressed out lives?

Perception -


Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.
The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.
During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station,
most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing.
He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried away.


4 minutes later:
the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw the money in the hat,
and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him,
then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.
The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard,
and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.
This action was repeated by several other children.
Every parent, wthout exception, forced the child to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.
About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.
The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over.
No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in
the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a
violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a
theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.


This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the
Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and
people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment
at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion from this experiment could be this:
If we do we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians
in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most
beautiful instruments ever made, what else are we missing?

Source:
Gene Weingarten – “Pearls Before Breakfast; Can one of the nation’s great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let’s find out.” Washington Post, April 8, 2007

The Asset Building Framework in Rural Social Work

Our MSW program at Humboldt State University strictly adheres to the long tradition of practice in social work that focuses on strengths and assets, whether we are talking about individuals, families, neighborhoods or communities. I have learned to use this practice in my internship and strongly believe that it is the most positive thing I can bring to the table in my work. As the authors noted in the text, Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Assets, we can choose to see the problems facing our communities and become overwhelmed by the depth of despair in our society that is reflected in the individuals, families and communities that we come into contact with on a daily basis in our work. We have another choice though, and that is to see the assets that are available in the systems we work in. It is the choice of seeing the glass half empty, or half full. Seeing the glass half full allows us to tune into the “depth of the human spirit and the richness of the creative process” (Scales & Streeter, 2004). This perception can create a vibrant and enriching reality that is usually missing in the concept of social work in rural communities.
Since most of my family still lives in the rural community that I grew up in, it was refreshing to read about the wide range of strengths and assets that are available in rural communities since I have thought about working in a rural area when I graduate. The assets that are available include the associations people have with each other and the land, family histories that can include many generations of ties between individuals and families, and family and local traditions that connect people.
The authors identify three significant streams of asset building work that have helped to shift the focus in rural social work from deficiencies to assets. The book, Building Community From the Inside Out, by Kretzmann and McKnight, focuses on asset building by “identifying resources and fostering relationships in the community” (Scales et al., 2004). This approach has been established in the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University. Kretzmann and McKnight’s central approach is that every individual has promise, and it is essential to define what that is because the totality of these assets can be used to revitalize a rural area.
A second stream of asset building work is located at the Search Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Search Institute identified forty critical factors necessary for the healthy development of our youth in the belief that healthy communities value healthy children. It is the responsibility of every community to nurture their external experiences like creating supportive environments and clearly stated boundaries. It is also equally important to nurture the internal qualities of each child. This can include helping kids make a commitment to learning, creating boundaries, and helping each child to develop a strong sense of power and worth. These children will then make positive contributions to their communities, which will empower all of us.
The third area of work focused on the asset-building framework is located at Washington University in St. Louis in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. The focus of this work challenges the current welfare policies that penalize families for creating assets that would allow them to get off welfare. Encouraging people to create and save money using individual development accounts would allow families to start small businesses or save for college for their children.
I encourage social workers everywhere to learn more about the asset-building framework because the rural environments will impact our practice even if we work in urban areas. The reason for this is there are huge populations of people living in cities that have migrated from rural areas.