- Walter Bresette
Walter Bresette (
July 4 ,1947 -February 21 ,1999 ) was a prominentOjibwe activist, politician, and author most notable for work on environmental issues and Ojibwetreaty rights in NorthernWisconsin and theLake Superior region. He founded or co-founded several organizations includingWitness for Nonviolence , theMidwest Treaty Network , and theWisconsin Green Party .Personal life
Bresette, born in 1947, was an enrolled member of the
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a member of the Loon clan. He served in theUnited States Army and was stationed inJapan . Later, he returned to Red Cliff and operated a trading-goods store.Spearfishing protests
In the late 1980s, Northern Wisconsin erupted in violence in response to the Ojibwe reassertion of traditional spearfishing rights in what would later be described as the
Wisconsin Walleye War . Although, Red Cliff was not as active as some of the other bands in pushing for treaty rights, Bresette emerged as one of the most eloquent and outspoken defenders of the cause. To help document the violent acts of the anti-spearing protesters and inaction of local law enforcement, and to protect the spearfishers themselves, Bresette organized the group Witness for Nonviolence to bring sympathetic "witnesses" to record what happened at the boat landings on video. During this period, Bresette operated a mall store inDuluth, Minnesota that was targeted by theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service who raided the store and seized severalmigratory bird feathers. Bresette claimed the right to possess and sell these items due to treaty rights. In a decision that helped clarify the rights of Ojibwes to possess feathers, a United States District Court judge returned the feathers. It was widely speculated the seizures were politically motivated, but they ultimately served to advance Bresette's cause. Bresette would later document this period of unrest in "Walleye Warriors: An Effective Alliance Against Racism and for the Earth," a book co-written with Rick Whaley.Mining Protests
During the 1990s, Bresette's activities focused on opposition to proposed sulfide mines in Northern Wisconsin. In each mining battle, Bresette pressed the case of treaty rights and of Ojibwe sovereignty over resources on ceded territory. He co-founded Anishinabe Niijii to oppose mining claiming it brought environmental destruction that threatened several key watersheds including that of Lake Superior. The group unsuccessfully attempted to block operations at a sulfide mine near
Ladysmith, Wisconsin . During these protests, Bresette is remembered for striking mining equipment with the war club of the famousSauk chief Black Hawk, a gift given to Bresette for his work. The group, however, was successful in stopping the proposedLynne mine in Oneida County. The primary target of protest during this period was the proposedCrandon mine in Forest County. Thezinc sulfide deposits there were targeted for extraction byExxon and other companies, but Bresette and others pointed out the potential danger to the Wolf River watershed and the Mole Lake Ojibwe reservation. At the height of the Crandon controversy, Bresette's attentions were brought to another mining proposal. TheWhite Pine mine inMichigan was a mostly defunctcopper mine that was to havesulfuric acid poured into its shafts to leach out remaining copper withoutEPA oversight. Citing concerns over degradation to nearbyLake Superior , Bresette resigned an EPA position he held at the time and became a spokesperson for the group Anishinabe Ogitchida as they staged a protest stopping the tanker cars from carrying the sulfuric acid across the Bad River Ojibwe reservation inAshland County, Wisconsin . TheBad River Train Blockade brought media scrutiny on the EPA and the eventual end to any attempts to revive the mine. Bresette lived long enough to see amining moratorium passed in Wisconsin postponing the Crandon project indefinitely, but died before the purchase of the mine by two nearby tribes in 2003.Other Political Activities
Bresette was also highly active in politics at the local, state, and national levels. With a close associate,
Frank Koehn ofHerbster, Wisconsin , he started theLake Superior Greens in the 1980s. The Lake Superior Greens being one of the earliestgreen parties in the United States successfully ran Koehn for Bayfield County board of supervisors in 1986. This was the first instance of a Green Party candidate winning any elected office in the United States. Bresette and Koehn were also key founding members of theWisconsin Green Party which held its first convention in 1988. During the 1990s, Bresette pushed for theSeventh Generation Amendment , also known as theCommon Property Amendment , to theUnited States Constitution . To promote the amendment, Bresette helped organize several protestors to walk completely around Lake Superior. He was active in promoting environmental, treaty rights and human rights issues until his 1999 death of a heart attack inDuluth, Minnesota .See also
*
Crandon mine
*Bad River Train Blockade
*Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
*Frank Koehn
*Wisconsin Green Party External links
* [http://www.alphacdc.com/treaty/content.html/ Midwest Treaty Network]
* [http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org Website of the Wisconsin Green Party]
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