CONNECTING GEOLOGY, MINING, & FISH SOVEREIGNTY IN THE KEWEENAW

We use a geoheritage framework to explore the relationships between geology, the fish nation, and people in the Keweenaw region of Upper Michigan on Lake Superior - the ceded territory of 1842, the home territory of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC), and the site of the largest known native copper deposit on Earth. The Treaty of 1842, commonly known as the “Copper Treaty,” ceded millions of acres of land to the United States in exchange for rights to hunt, fish, and gather within the Ceded Territory. KBIC identify as fishing people and have always had a strong focus on cultivating and protecting relationships within ecosystems that support healthy food sovereignty initiatives within our community. During the summer of 2022 and 2023 we visited three highly productive and culturally significant spawning grounds for Lake Trout and White Fish in Lake Superior to deepen our understanding of how geology influences fish habitat, fish sovereignty, and our sense of self. These sites include the Huron Islands, Traverse Island (Rabbit Island), and Buffalo Reef – all within the ceded-territory homelands where 11 Lake Superior Bands of Ojibwa retain rights and responsibilities to harvest fish from the Michigan waters of Lake Superior. The Keweenaw’s highly extractive copper mining past continues to impact our region today. Of particular concern is Buffalo Reef where migrating mining waste is covering this vital spawning location. This has implications for commercial fisheries, subsistence uses, and cultural identity of KBIC and other tribal nations that identify as fishing people. A StoryMap has been created to share these stories and teachings and to encourage us to consider the changing relationships between people and geology in our place. This work serves as an educational resource contributing to efforts for restoration and revitalization of place and honorable harvesting across our landscape.