Moving beyond argument : racism & treaty rights

Treaty rights have long been a contentious issue in the United States. In the last half of the twentieth century, treaty controversies have centered primarily around the rights to hunt, fish, and gather on ceded territory. In Wisconsin, spearfishing became one of the main areas of dispute when two brothers from the Lac Courte Oreilles Band were arrested for off-reservation fishing in 1974. The case resulted in the landmark Voight Decision of 1983 that protected off-reservation treaty rights. The controversy did not end there, though, and in 1984, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) was formed to educate the public and to assist its members in implementing and protecting treaty rights. This booklet, produced by the GLIFWC, consists of a series of articles about some of the major treaty issues as well as the nature and effects of racially-motivated actions.