| Native American Hunting and Fishing Rights |
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Treaties | |
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Fishing Limits | |
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Map showing Indian land and farmland | |
Native American Hunting and Fishing Rights
Native American hunting rights have been a major issue ever since possession limits came into effect.
Non Native American anglers and hunters are unhappy about the Native American hunting and fishing rights.
One widely held view amongst sportsmen is that Native Americans hunting and fishing with no limits is draining
our already pressured fisheries and to a lesser extent our game populations. This is such a big deal because so
much of Minnesota's prime hunting and fishing areas are in or next to Native American reservations.
"After an examination of the historical record, we conclude that the Chippewa retain the rights guaranteed to them
under the 1837 treaty." ,said Sandra Day O'Conner, a supreme court justice. The 1837 treaty gave the Chippewa the
right take as much game as they want on their reservations. In 1990 the Mille Lacs band of Chippewa Indians sued
Minnesota over the right to hunt, fish and gather free of regulation on land ceded in the 1837 treaty. The Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tried to avoid a long and costly court battle by getting the Chippewa Indians to
drop their lawsuit and in return Minnesota would give them $8,600,000, 7,500 acres of land, and no fishing limit on
4.5% of Mille Lacs. It also allowed spear fishing and netting on those areas. Some people said that using nets
would bring the walleye population down a lot. Native Americans argued that spear fishing and using nets is a big part
of their culture and they need to be able to continue doing it.
Since Native American reservations are considered sovereign nations they have the right take all the game they want
on their reservations. However when they signed the treaties they did not have the choice where and the size of their
reservations. Most Native American reservation in Minnesota aren't very close to major cities or roads. To the Native
Americans at that time it sounded like a reasonable offer because they wanted to be far away from civilization, but now
they come to realize that they were majorly ripped-off. Now they depend more on roads and cities to provide income.
When the state went to make treaties they wanted the good crop land in the south for themselves, they almost forced
them into signing the treaties that gave them the less fertile wilderness of the north.
In conclusion both side have valid point but the supreme court , the highest in the land, ruled in favor of the Native
Americans. At least for now Native Americans have the right to take as much as game as they want under the treaty of
1837.
Sam Gustafson, Mitch Pemberton, and Kyle Veldihiuzen