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Collection of articles

No. 20 (2025): Heritage and Authenticity

Reclaiming Rights and Practices on Ojibwe Ceded Territory

Submitted
January 15, 2026
Published
2026-01-15

Abstract

Within the context of U.S. settler colonialism, Ojibwe ceded territories in northern Wisconsin have long been shaped by conflicts over sovereignty, state authority and resource extraction. This study examines how the reaffirmation of treaty rights, and the revitalization of practices such as spearfishing and wild rice harvesting, function as interconnected legal, cultural, and environmental forms of resistance. Rooted in Ojibwe spirituality and oral traditions, these practices contribute to the reconfiguration of Native governance, mainly through the creation of intertribal organizations. In doing so, the organizations exemplify innovative collective strategies through which Ojibwe sovereignty is reasserted against the settler colonial logic of elimination.