20-03-2025
State of the Tribes address touches on Trump, Line 5, education, cannabis, treaty rights
From Trump cuts to legalizing cannabis to fighting a Canadian energy company, Thomas Fowler, chairman of the St. Croix Ojibwe Tribe, delved into a range of issues during the 21st annual State of the Tribes address to Wisconsin legislators in Madison.
'Wisconsin's collaborative relationship with tribal nations can be an example for the entire nation to look up to,' he said in his speech. 'We are all better when working together.'
Fowler asked legislators to support tribal nation initiatives, reminding them that tribes are huge economic drivers in the state, including with more than $600 million a year in tax revenue to the state from casinos alone.
The St. Croix Tribe, like other tribal nations in Wisconsin, is among the largest employers in the counties in which it is located. For example, with about 1,200 tribal members and 4,600 acres of land in far northwest Wisconsin, the St. Croix is the largest employer in Burnett Country and second largest employer in Barron County, employing about 2,500 people.
Fowler's speech came after some controversy in how the day was set up.
First, here are some of the issues.
Fowler said tribal leaders currently are uneasy about recent changes in the federal government.
The Department of Government Efficiency has targeted Bureau of Indian Affairs offices for closure in Wisconsin. These offices help to maintain the federal government's treaty responsibilities with tribal nations and manage land transfers for tribes and tribal members.
DOGE also has targeted billions of dollars in federal funding for tribal education, healthcare and other services for possible cuts.
Fowler said tribal nations have had poor relations with past presidential administrations and have endured them. He said tribes will continue to rely on their experienced attorneys and advocates to defend their rights.
Fowler said Indigenous peoples have long used cannabis for cultural, spiritual and practical purposes.
'The deep knowledge of medicinal plants, including cannabis, was passed down through generations,' he said.
Fowler said the vast majority of people, regardless of party affiliation, support the use cannabis for medicinal reasons. He urged the Legislature to legalize it.
Fowler said Act 31, which mandates that education about tribal nations be taught in Wisconsin public schools, has never been strong enough.
He said students from many school districts in Wisconsin don't even know why Act 31 was passed.
Act 31 was a response to the 'Walleye Wars,' which gained national attention in the 1980s and 1990s after federal court rulings upheld the treaty rights of Ojibwe tribal members to hunt and fish off-season in northern Wisconsin.
Non-tribal protestors attacked tribal members practicing those treaty rights, employing violence and expressing racism.
Act 31 was meant to reduce bigotry against Indigenous peoples and increase understanding about treaty rights.
Fowler also asked legislators to support several bills at the state and federal level.
One bill at the state level would allow Indigenous graduates to wear Native regalia, such as tribal stoles, during their graduation ceremonies.
A bill at the federal level, S.1723, establishes a 'Truth and Healing Commission' to investigate the atrocities committed at Indian boarding schools in the nation's recent history.
Fowler asked legislators to support tribal nation initiatives for clean water in the state and to increase regulations for agricultural and industrial runoff.
He also asked for support in the tribal fight against the Canadian oil company Enbridge, which has pipelines running through Wisconsin. One of its pipelines spilled nearly 70,000 gallons of oil just west of Milwaukee in Jefferson County late in 2024.
The Bad River Ojibwe Tribe in northern Wisconsin is fighting to remove Enbridge's Line 5 oil pipeline from its reservation and is opposed to a planned reroute near the reservation.
Fowler spoke about the epidemic of violence against Indigenous peoples and the movement addressing it known as MMIW, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women.
He called for cohesive law enforcement training and support and funding for tribal police departments and mental health resources.
The Wisconsin Attorney General's MMIW Task Force expects to release its report about the crisis later this year.
The State of the Tribes Address is typically the only agenda item for the day, but this year it was more than an hour for it to get started as members of the Legislature paid tribute to Democratic Representative Jonathan Brostoff, who died by suicide last year.
Richard Ackley, a retired Bad River tribal judge and community advocate, said tribes support mental health concerns, but thought the tribute to Brostoff could have been done at another time to avoid the conflict.
Mark Webster, an Oneida tribal member and community advocate living in Milwaukee whose children died by suicide, blamed Assembly Speaker Robin Vos for setting up the agenda to delay the State of the Tribes.
'This moment was not one for grief, instead it was about leveraging pain," Webster said. "He orchestrated the emotions of Democrats wanting to speak to get in the way of a timely and customary start of the State of the Tribes.'
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Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@ or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: State of the Tribes address touches on Trump, treaty rights, Line 5
