SCHEDULE DIRECTIONS Contacts & Acknowledgements		flyer formats .doc or .pdf download free . pdf Reader
N A T I O N H O O D    G A T H E R I N G

Sokaogon Chippewa Community
Mole Lake Reservation, Wisconsin
June 10-12, 2005

(9 miles south of Crandon, Wisconsin, on Highway 55)
* Admission free to gathering; please notify in advance for groups.
$3 discounted admission to powwow for Gathering participants.

The Midwest Treaty Network is organizing a “Nationhood Gathering,” to be held at the Sokaogon Chippewa Community at Mole Lake, Wisconsin on June 10-12, 2005. The Nationhood Gathering will be a historic opportunity to build grassroots unity among Native nations in the western Great Lakes region, to educate and empower youth, and to mobilize Native peoples for cultural and environmental survival.

The Gathering will focus on treaty rights and tribal sovereignty, and how they can protect Native lands, cultures and communities in the 21st century. It will be centered on the building of Indigenous nationhood, rooted in a historic sovereignty that existed long before federal recognition, and the importance of youth learning the culture of their nation.

In 2003, the Crandon mine proposed next to Mole Lake was defeated after a 28-year struggle, and the site was acquired by the Sokaogon Chippewa (Ojibwe) and Forest County Potawatomi. These recovered tribal lands are an example of sovereignty protecting the environment, and an ideal place for cultural and environmental education. The Nationhood Gathering will be held in conjunction with annual Strawberry Moon Powwow in Mole Lake (9 miles south of Crandon on Hwy. 55).

First Nations have won some important victories in recent years that have been watched around Indian Country, including the defeat of racist anti-treaty organizations and the world’s largest resource corporations. But the Nationhood Gathering will be a chance to pause, and bring together Native people to listen to each other, remember the past, and plan for the future. The emphasis will be on building a positive grassroots movement among the people for future generations, rather than simply responding to crisis emergencies. The focus will be on grassroots planning for a sustainable future based on traditional cultures, rather than simply focusing on intergovernmental relations.

The Nationhood Gathering takes part of its inspiration from the Treaty Gathering, organized on Madeline Island last September to mark the 150th anniversary of the 1854 Treaty. Many of the speakers at that event addressed the need to educate youth and the larger community about tribal sovereignty, and how it can protect the land and culture.

The Gathering will focus on proactive and culturally rooted youth education and organizing to meet emerging cultural, environmental and economic threats with new strategies. The Gathering will bring together elders and youth from different tribal nations, and educate students and teachers. The two-day event will include talks and cultural presentations on Friday afternoon, circles on threats to the people and land on Saturday morning, and strategy circles on Saturday afternoon (see the list of proposed topics below). On Sunday morning, there will be skills trainings circles for youth to witness and organize against threats to the environment and sovereignty, by forming community groups or teams when they go back home.

The Midwest Treaty Network is a Native and non-Native alliance supporting treaty rights, tribal sovereignty, cultural respect, and environmental justice in the western Great Lakes region. It was founded in 1989 to coordinate the Witness for Nonviolence, which stood with Ojibwe families during the spearfishing conflict. The MTN worked against metallic sulfide mining projects that threaten the fishery for Indians and non-Indians alike, particularly the proposed Crandon mine upstream from Mole Lake’s wild rice beds and the Wolf River. At the same time, the MTN responds to requests by Native nations and tribal organizations to oppose spiritual exploitation and cultural trivialization, to support environmental justice and land claims, to expose racist anti-Indian organizing, and to make cultural and economic ties between Native and non-Native communities.

MIDWEST TREATY NETWORK
21 South Barstow Street, Suite 206,
Eau Claire, WI 54701
(715) 833-1777 or (715) 833-8552
E-mail: mtn@igc.org   Website: http://www.treatyland.com

NATIONHOOD GATHERING : Tentative Schedule  -  PRINTOUT

	Friday, June 10 :  AFTERNOON TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS 1:00-5:00 pm
	Emcee : Chaz Wheelock (Oneida) Opening : Robert Van Zile (Mole Lake) Welcome : Sandra Rachel (Mole Lake Chair), Tina Van Zile (Mole Lake Vice Chair)
	Crandon mine success Fred Ackley, Fran Van Zile (Mole Lake), Ken Fish (Menominee)
	Indigenous Rebuilding of Nations Chaz Wheelock (Oneida)
	Representatives of other nations Marvin Defoe from Red Cliff,  and others
	Other elders and youth Hugh Danforth, Roscoe Churchill, others
	5:00 : Dinner : (cooking/serving help welcome)
	7:00 : Socializing and Open Mike : (bring your instruments)
	Saturday June 11
	SATURDAY MORNING CIRCLES  : THREATS TO PEOPLE & THE LAND 9:00 -10:30 am
	1. New mining battles : (Minn., Wis., N. Mich.) Tom Goldtooth (IEN), Lisa Kronick (Front 40, Menominee River MI)
	2. Military projects : (Badger, Barksdale, Flight/bombing ranges, etc.) Nettie Kingsley (Ho-Chunk)
	3. Water issues : (Groundwater pumping in Wis. & S. Mich., Great Lakes diversion & dredging, Mercury) Chris Munson (Oneida).  (Polar Springs) George Rock (Trout Unlimited). Tom Godtooth (IEN).
	4. Genetic modification of wild rice : Fran Van Zile (Mole Lake), White Earth Land Recovery Project video, Matt Stewart (LaCrosse)
	10:30 –12 noon
	1. Transmission lines and hydroelectric dams : (Manitoba-Minn.-Wis.) Linda Ceylor, Bob Ringstad, others with Save Our Unique Lands (SOUL)
	2. Cultural disrespect & responding to racist backlash : (Mascots/logos, media, schools, etc.) Barb Munson (Oneida, Mosinee) Chris Munson (Oneida, MTN), Carol Gunderson (Oneida, Osseo), Harvey Gunderson (Osseo)
	3. Nuclear waste storage : (Wolf River & Puritan Batholiths WI. Prairie Island MN, Yucca Mtn. NV, Skull Valley UT) Bob Halstead (Former WI Radioactive Waste Review Board), Charlotte Caldwell (Menominee), Tom Goldtooth (IEN).
	4. Threats to sacred sites : (Burials, Objects Repatriation, Sprawl/land encroachment) Fran Van Zile (Mole Lake), Nettie Kingsley (Ho-Chunk)
	12:00 –1:00pm : Lunch
	SATURDAY AFTERNOON CIRCLES  : SUCCESS STORIES AND FUTURE STRATEGIES 1:00-2:30pm
	1. Cultural and language revitalization Robert Van Zile (Mole Lake), Invited: Richard Baird (Oneida)
	2. Sovereignty 101 : (basics of sovereignty and curriculum needs) Lisa Poupart (UW-Green Bay, Lac du Flambeau)
	3. Reservation land recovery Art Skenandore (Oneida Land Recovery Project Board), Dee Sweet (UW-Green Bay, OLRP associate, Poet Laureate), Michelle Greendeer (Ho-Chunk)
	4. Grassroots alliance-building across racial lines Ken Fish (Menominee), George Rock (Trout Unlimited), Debi McNutt, Zoltan Grossman (MTN)
	2:30-5:00 pm
	1. Tribal watershed & air protection including Treatment-As-State (TAS) status Charlotte Caldwell (Menominee), Roman Ferdinand (Mole Lake technical staff)
	2. Native History for Youth NDGNS Action youth (Minneapolis): Wastewin Gonzalez, Marissa Jubera, Bobby Wilson, Vicente Luna, Alan Roy
	3. Tribal sustainable agriculture Lou Williams Jr. and Ted Skenandore (Tsyunhehkwa, Oneida), Rep. from Gitagaaning (Bad River), Matt Stewart (Native/Hmong gardens, LaCrosse)
	4. Tribal energy independence Laura Manthe (Oneida)
	5:00pm : Feast at powwow grounds (Turn left on Hwy. 55, follow signs pointing to right; $3 admission to powwow with discount ticket)
	7:00pm : Strawberry Moon Powwow Grand Entry
	Sunday, June 12
	SUNDAY MORNING CIRCLES : SKILLS TRAININGS 9:00-10:30 am
	1. Community Organizing: Connecting Native Youth to their Cultural Roots NDGNS Action youth (Minneapolis): Wastewin Gonzalez, Marissa Jubera, Bobby Wilson, Vicente Luna, Alan Roy
	2. Research and presenting research Guy Wolf (UW-LaCrosse), Tom Goldtooth (IEN)
	3. Media (how to write press release, PSA, etc.) Amoose (Bad River), Clif Morton (Hortonville)
	10:30 am-12:00 noon
	1. How to organize a youth group : (Follow-up discussions on identifying resources, Speaking/facilitation, Event organizing, Personal/face-to-face) Lea Zeise, Orleana Batiste (Oneida), Matt Stewart, Chris Munson, Dana Churness, others
	2. Witnessing : (monitoring and documenting threats) Zoltan Grossman (MTN)
	3. Non-Native respect for Native cultures : (opposing cultural expropriation & romanticism) Barb Munson (Oneida), Doug Hosler(UW-Marathon)
	4. Fundraising for a new organization Laura Manthe (Oneida)
	12:00 noon : Lunch on own at powwow grounds (Turn left on Hwy. 55, follow signs pointing to right; $3 admission to powwow with discount ticket)
	1:00pm : Strawberry Moon Powwow Grand Entry
PRINTOUT NATIONHOOD GATHERING SCHEDULE

Camping Available. Please bring lawn chair and dishes / utensils, and musical instruments if you want for Friday evening. No drugs alcohol or dogs allowed. *