Introduction
The documentary Lighting the Seventh Fire by Sandra Day Osawa demonstrates the struggles Native communities face in accessing natural resources. Indian people were often subject to discrimination and harassment from non-Native communities. Thus, combined with poor knowledge of history and socioeconomic factors, the Ojibwe/Chippewa people struggled with tensions from the non-Indian population’s abuse and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (WDNR) attempts to limit their rights.
Natural Resource Conflicts Between Indigenous Communities and US Authorities
Tension and conflicts over treaty rights have defined the Ojibwe/Chippewa peoples’ historical relationship with the WDNR. Several decades ago, the boat landings in northern Wisconsin were centers of violence and mayhem as Ojibwe spearfishers tried to capture their fish, as shown in the documentary (Lighting the Seventh Fire). Moreover, as the film demonstrates, the Northern Wisconsin socioeconomic systems were a major factor in the racialized reactions that non-Native groups displayed. Due to the region’s heavy reliance on tourism and recreational fishing, Ojibwe spearfishing tactics were seen as potentially affecting non-Native fishing options (Lighting the Seventh Fire). Consequently, this created a competitive and resentful environment between the two populations.
Furthermore, in Northern Wisconsin, several environmental factors affect freshwater fish populations. The documentary clearly emphasizes the values of the Native population in treaties, giving a quote, “We wish to reserve the streams where we drink the waters that gave us life” (Lighting the Seventh Fire 5:13). At the same time, the film shows how habitat degradation and pollution affected fish populations. Fish shelters were damaged by landowners’ decision to fill in wetlands and chemical compounds from industrial locations (Loew and Thannum 168).
Finally, the confrontations on the boat landings were partly caused by Wisconsin’s public school systems’ lack of an American Indian Studies curriculum. As mentioned by one of the Indians, “No one in the state was prepared academically, intellectually for the court ruling” (Lighting the Seventh Fire 22:59). Racial harassment both on and off the landings increased, and political pressure intensified.
Conclusion
In summary, the Ojibwe/Chippewa people faced conflicts stemming from the mistreatment of the non-Indian population and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. As the film shows, a significant contributing element to the racialized responses exhibited by non-Native populations was the socioeconomic structures of Northern Wisconsin. Moreover, freshwater fish populations in Northern Wisconsin are impacted by a variety of environmental factors.
Works Cited
Loew, Patty, and James Thannum. “After the Storm: Ojibwe Treaty Rights Twenty-Five Years after the Voigt Decision.” American Indian Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 2, 2011, pp. 161- 191.
Lighting the Seventh Fire. Directed by Sandra Day Osawa, PBS, 1995.