Bemidji State University history professor Anton Treuer is the author of “Warrior Nation: A History of the Red Lake Ojibwe.” His research follows the story of Red Lake Nation from the mid-18th century to the present.
It also includes the signing of an agreement with the United States in 1889. Treuer says Red Lake chiefs negotiated for exclusive use of the lakes because they believed it necessary to their ability to make a living for themselves and future generations.
“The legal standard across the United States of America for evaluating treaties is, ‘What was the understanding that Native people had at the time it was signed,’” said Treuer. “There’s no doubt that the people of Red Lake understood that they would keep all of Upper Red Lake and all of Lower Red Lake when at the signed they signed the Nelson Act. There’s no doubt.”