The Walleye War: The Struggle for Ojibwe Spearfishing and Treaty Rights

by Larry Nesper

Book Overview

For generations, the Ojibwe bands of northern Wisconsin have spearfished spawning walleyed pike in the springtime. The bands reserved hunting, fishing, and gathering rights on the lands that would become the northern third of Wisconsin in treaties signed with the federal government in 1837, 1842, and 1854. Those rights, however, would be ignored by the state of Wisconsin for more than a century. When a federal appeals court in 1983 upheld the bands'...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803283806
• ISBN13: 9780803283800
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 245 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

better than expected.

I loved this book and have lent it out to some co workers who also enjoyed it. If you have an interest in Native Americans, especially from Wisconsin, than get it. Nesper does a great job giving both sides to the troubling story. The story will shock and amaze you.

I highly recommend this book

Dr. Larry Nesper's 13-year journey with the Lac du Flambeau Indians becomes a thoroughly enjoyable and scholarly example of modern ethnographic work. The book meticulously details all of the issues relevant to Ojibwe spear-fishing and treaty rights as 1) native tradition, 2) cultural conflict (conflict both within the native culture, and between the native population and the State of Wisconsin), 3) inter-cultural legal conflict and controversy, and 4) an example for current dialogues regarding ethnicity and ethnic conflict, ethnic prejudice, and racism. Nesper clearly outlines all pertinent issues of the 25-year "Walleye War" from every angle, and conscientiously works his way through them, all the while carefully explaining different cultural perspectives. Even though Nesper states that he has become friends with many of the native people about whom he writes, he does not let his own feelings of friendship taint the truth. I recommend the book for enthusiasts of native culture, academics (especially those teaching cultural anthropology), and anyone interested in the history of, and current issues regarding, treaty rights and the relationship between native cultures and state or federal government entities.