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Native Nations
ofWisconsin

Gerald DePerry

Currently, Jerry DePerry lives on the Red CliffOjibwe/Chippewa Reservation by Bayfield, WI, which is very
close to Lake Superior. He works on the Bad River Reservation
at the GLIFWC (Great Lakes Indian and Fish Wildlife
Commission) as the Deputy Administrator for the finance
department. He is Catholic, however he enjoys powwows and
his Ojibwe culture.
Could you please tell us about yourself?
Im a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and as far as my clan system goes, I
dont have a clan.

Do you reside mainly on or off the Red Cliff Reservation?

Right now I reside on the Red Cliff Reservation.

Do you work off of the reservation or on it?

I work over at the Bad River Reservation, which is about 40 miles from my home.

What do you do there?

I work at the Commission (GLIFWC). The Commission is composed of eleven member tribes. We have
six Chippewa tribes in Wisconsin, three in Michigan, and two in Minnesota. What the Commission is all
about is dealing with issues pertaining to the treaties that were ceded back to the government. Tribes hold
some rights on the land. Were an agency of the tribes. My job here is-my job title-is Deputy
Administrator, and Ive been with the Commission for 20 years. My area is finance. Ive been in the
finance area for the 20 years Ive been here. We handle a lot of contracts with the Bureau of Indian
Affairs. We handle a lot of contracts with the intergovernmental agencies such as the EPA, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, different grants through the bureau, and different grants outside the bureau through the
state. I manage all that with my staff and thats what were accountable for here.

Do you handle anything with the treaties or problems that there used to be?
The treaties are a part of this organization. If it werent for the treaties, this organization wouldnt be here.
There are certain rights under the treaties that were guaranteed. Those rights were reaffirmed in certain
cases. Such cases like the Voight case in Wisconsin, and the Munox case in Minnesota, where the
Supreme Court ruled in favor of the tribes in those areas. Thats what this organization was formed for
20 plus years ago. We work on behalf of the tribes. We take our directions from the tribes when it comes
to resources. Were lookouts for them. We negotiate with the states, we negotiate with the federal
government on behalf of tribes, and try to work out any conflicts between game, fish, habitat, just
resources in general. We do have rights to spearing in Wisconsin and Minnesota. So thats long gone,
its under our belt, and we look forward to the next season.

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Speaking of different seasons, is there a lot of difference between your seasons and ours?
No. Our seasons coincide with the ones in the state. We have a little more in the hunting area. Our deer
season opens September first for guns, right after Labor Day, and ends at the end of December. So we
have a whole lot of time to do hunting in our area. We abide by our rules and regulations that are set by
the courts that the tribes established, and enforced by
preservation officers through the commission itself.

ofWisconsin

Is there anything else about your job?

We meet with our board of directors every two months.
Thats the tribal chairs from the different tribes. We meet
monthly with a working force assigned by the tribes; its
called a Voight Task Force. That deals with issues such
as deer, bear, wild rice, waterfowl, any other issues that
we might have to bring to the Board of Directors. The
Voight Board meets monthly, and the chairmen meet
every two months. So we have our meetings that we go
to. Im pretty much in-state; I dont travel too much out
of state. We have people here who go to Washington, or
go to Madison, and meet with delegations there and
people out in D.C. Its part of the game.

The reservation is like

real America, really.
It s modernized. We
have our tribal admin
?
istration buildings on
the reservation, we
have a casino, we have
a bingo hall, and we
have our churches.

Could you please tell us a little bit about your

reservation?
My reservation is located in Bayfield on the Red Cliff, which is just a little north of Bayfield. Our total
enrollment is close to 5,300-5,500 but that is not all members on the reservation; thats members
throughout the U.S. who are registered as Red Cliff. I moved back to the reservation, and have been
living on the reservation for the last 4 or 5 years. Prior to that, I lived in Bayfield. I made that change
about 5 years ago.

The reservation is like real America, really. Its modernized. We have our tribal administration buildings
on the reservation, we have a casino, we have a bingo hall, and we have our churches. I went to school
on the reservation when I was a young boy growing up. I went to a Catholic school up to the 8th grade.
I graduated in 1957 from the grade school, and then I went into Bayfield for high school. A lot of kids
in my time and my age went to Catholic school on the reservation, and then they went into Bayfield for
the high school portion of their life. That Catholic school is no longer operational anymore. Its all
public schooling now for the students in Bayfield and around Red Cliff. I come from a big family. I
grew up with 10 brothers and sisters. There are seven of us left. Im married and had two kids. I had
two kids, but I lost a young boy, he was a senior at Bayfield in 1991, and he got killed in an automobile
accident. I used to go around the state and do a lot of talking to high school students on the consequences
of drinking and driving. I did that for a number of years. I still do when Im requested to. I served a
two-year term in tribal government on my reservation. I ran for the tribal treasurer a couple years back.
I won that seat, and I served in it for two years. It was my first go-round at politics, to find out what that
was all about. We dont have a big gaming complex at Red Cliff. We are struggling, not like some bigger
tribes who have bigger casinos like the Oneida around the Green Bay area or the Ho-Chunk down in the
Dells. They make a lot of money, and a lot of people come to our area during the summer months just
to enjoy those resources.
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ofWisconsin

You stated that gaming wasnt big for your economy, but what about fishing and logging?
Some logging happens around our area, but as tribal members participating in it there are very few people
who still log today. Commercial fishing, however, for the tribal members, still goes on at Red Cliff. I
wouldnt say there are a lot of tribal people fishing, but theres probably good ten or twelve who are still
commercial fishing, and of course thats all governed again by rules and regulations set up between a
quota that you can take between tribes and the DNR. Those quotas are set. Fishing is still a source of
income for some people on the reservation. Logging is minimal, but theres a few of the tribal people
that still log. Other than that theres mostly seasonal employment. Its getting into the tour season at
Bayfield, and theres going to be a lot of jobs opening between Memorial Day weekend until late October
or early November. We rely a lot on that, so do businesses in Bayfield. Thats kind of their bread and
butter sort of speak.
Did you go to college?
I went to colleges. When I got out of school I went to LaCrosse for about a year. I went out to Cleveland,
Ohio back in 1963 for technical school with data processing, which was all computer stuff, but back in
the 60s, its not like the computers we have today. It was a lot of IBM cards and key punch cards and
that kind of a system; prior to the systems we use today. I went to that school for 6 or 7 months. I
received a degree. When I came out of school in 63 I went into the service, and served 4 years in the
Air Force as a missile security guard. I was stationed over in North Dakota, where, at the time, they had
a lot of Minuteman missiles. I was stationed in the Sac Beach. A SAC is B52 bombers and KC-135
refueling planes. Also, they had a big fighter squadron located there. It was a big base. A lot of air police
missile security. Of course you have to have security on missile sites, you have to have security on flight
lines. You have to have basic security. That was about the time of Vietnam. I served four years at Minot,
N.D. and I was a missile security guard. One of the good things about my service life was back in 1963
when I was just going through basic recruit down in Lacktown AFB. I had the opportunity to be an honor
guard. Our air police unit down there was in technical school, which is when you get out of basic. I was
stationed at San Antonio, but over in Brookes AFB close by to Lacktown AFB in Texas. There was a
dedication in November of 63, and President Kennedy was there for the honor guards for him the day
before he went to Dallas, and the next day he got shot. I had the opportunity to see him at Brookes. He
walked straight in front of me. I had to salute him, he was my commander-in-chief. I hold that very
special in my military career, that I had that opportunity to see that President before he got shot.

Did a lot of people from Red Cliff follow your same path and join the military?
Years ago, I think they did. If you didnt go to college after coming out of high school nine out of ten
times they went to the service, because the economics of Bayfield and the affordability of college was
sometimes really out of the question. It wasnt really a big push when I grew up. Id go to college. Find
a job, settle down, and thats what it was. I bounced around for a few years: I went to school, I went to
Cleveland, and I went to LaCrosse. It got to a point where it was either go into the service voluntarily
or be drafted into the service and ending up in Vietnam. I decided to enlist, and I decided to enlist into
the Air Force. I did my four years. I think there are fewer kids today going into the service coming out
of high school. Look at the shape were in today. Theres so much war around this world. I have a
different outlook on this today, I suppose, than if I were an 18 year old jock. If I was 18 years old I would
probably be gung ho enough to do something crazy and enlist and end up in Afghanistan or Iran or
someplace.

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Are some of the 18 year olds now going overseas, or is it less?

Its really less. Id say less than 5 percent. Not that many people from my reservation are in the services.
A few native people that I know that have kids in the service are crossing their fingers every day. I dont
think it is like it was years ago. I think years ago young people, when they got out of school, enlisted.
It was a new life, and it was something for them to do.
Some young people stayed there 20 or 30 years. They
made a career of it. I dont see that happening too much
Not that many people
today. I think more emphasis today is for young people to
from my reservation are
get out of school and get onto college. You know, get an
education. A little hard sometimes. Pick it up because you
in the service. A few
really need it today. I see too many young people come out
native people that I
of school at my reservation and all of a sudden they end up
looking for good jobs that arent there. If you need a good
know that have kids in
job, nine out of ten times youre going to have to have the
the service are crossin
education to do it. Schooling is the only way you get there.
I see too many people come out of school, and have
their fingers everyday.
children young, and then they get into a situation where
don t think it is like
they cant move out because they have a commitment to
family and their own family, and they get stuck by that life.
was years ago. I think
Young people should have the opportunity to get out and
years ago young
enjoy life and get some schooling, and deal with the world.
Family is good, but its really a burden sometimes for
people, when they got
young people to have to do that.
ofWisconsin

Do you know anyone who had to go through a boarding

school or did you yourself?
No, I didnt have to go to any boarding school, but my
mother, when she was a young girl went, and my aunt when
she was a young girl did, too. Of course, they didnt like it at
the time. Some of the schools they went to were around
Tomah, WI, which is quite a ways away. A lot of young people went, but they didnt like it. They just
left. They left, and never had to go back. Its not like school today, where if you skip they run you out,
but a lot of times if you didnt like it, they could hit the road and walk home. I went to Catholic school,
and probably my grandmothers age they did ship people to boarding schools. Not as much maybe up
this way as down in the southern part of the country where they just ripped you from your folks and sent
you off. Thats the way it was. When you went to school you learned their way of life. You couldnt
speak your language; you couldnt practice your traditions or nothing.

out of school, enlisted

It was a new life, and
was something for them
to do.

Is your entire tribe Catholic?

Id say 90 some percent of our tribe is. When I grew up it was very strong in our community. You know
the church and the schools. We had about three classrooms that handled all the students, and of course
there werent a whole lot of big families at Red Cliff, so they fit into one school building with three
separate rooms. You had the 1st and 2nd graders, and the 3rd, 4th, 5th graders, and the 7th and 8th
graders. It was the little room, the middle room, or the big room. Wed go to school. We went to church
every morning. We knew a lot about church and the saints.
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How did you like the Catholic schools?

What could I compare it to? That was my way of life. I enjoyed it. I think my teachers were very good
teachers. We never had any problems with the nuns that taught us. Some of the older kids that maybe
went to school six years prior to us getting out sometimes had some terrible times with nuns. Our officers
used to be at an old school, and some of their nuns were really bad. When my brother went to school,
he said that they were pretty bad and they were pretty rough on some of the kids. They used to slam them
around. My experience with the church, with the school, with the nuns, with the priest that taught us,
was good. I have good memories of that. I have fond memories of the nuns that taught us. They were
very good nuns, we got along very good with them. The families were very strong. The families were
very strong Catholic families, and they raised the children up the same way. We went to school in the
morning, but we had to go to Mass first. We never missed a Sunday of going to church. You never
missed a holiday. You observed all the rules and regulations of the Catholic faith, and your parents made
sure you did that. They would get you up to go. Everything was done for the priest, for the nuns, for the
church. Parents and grandparents believed very strongly in that.

ofWisconsin

Did this ever clash with old religions of the Red Cliff?
My tribe members didnt practice a whole lot of traditional religion. I cant remember as a youngster
growing up going to a lot of traditional stuff. The Catholic faith was a stronger faith. If you practiced
your traditions, Im sure you practiced them outside of your faith. At least over in my reservation. I dont
know how it was on Flambeau or Lac Courte Oreilles. Theyre stronger in their traditions at those
reservations, and I think they had more of the traditional stuff going on at the time. A lot of people there
spoke the language. My mother never spoke the language. She knew the language. She could
understand it, but she never spoke it to us, so we never learned it. My grandmother never actually spoke
it to her, but my mother understood it. And thats probably from just listening to her mother speaking it
all the time amongst my grandmother and her friends. I dont think there was ever a big clash. Catholic
was dominant and our traditional religion wasnt. I never found big clashes between that. Like I said,
growing up on the reservation, our time was spent on the reservation. We went to the town Bayfield
sometimes, but I dont think I knew of hardly any religions back in those times other than Catholic except
at the school. You socialize with other people and find out more about their lives and you would say,
Oh, theyre Lutheran, or Episcopalians, or Baptists. Theres more Gods in this world.

Could you tell us about the aspects of the traditional Ojibwe culture?
Ojibwe culture is alive in many different communities around Wisconsin. A lot of people practice that.
We have people at work who practice some of the old traditional ways. They go on retreats every quarter.
They learn from the elders what to carry on. A part of that tradition is still alive in Wisconsin. Probably
more so in different communities and stronger in various communities. The native traditional ways are
very strong in Canada. I went to Canada about 6 or 7 years ago. Our whole group went up there from
the offices here, and we were quite impressed. When we got there a lot of the young kids and teenage
kids spoke Ojibwe and it spread, but a lot of us had no idea what they were talking about. Tradition in
life today has a lot of people parting both ways.

Is your tribe a lot different than other tribes?

No. I think our belief system is probably much the same across the Ojibwe/Chippewa country. We
mostly believe in the same. There are people that have their naming ceremonies here in Red Cliff the
same as they have in LCO (Lac Courte Oreilles). We have drummers here at Red Cliff that does the same
as all the Chippewa tribes. We have powwows just like any other Ojibwe tribe across the country. We
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have clan systems in Red Cliff that are the same clan systems as in other tribes. If youre part of the Deer
clan, your brothers and sisters are Deer clan from Flambeau or wherever, oure all the same,;youre all
together. No, it isnt different in that respect. I think its still there.

ofWisconsin

What kinds of arts and crafts are unique to your culture?

I think one of the big things is birch. We do a lot with birch. One of my friends is a good craftsman. He
makes good things about what nature has to provide. Another friend of mine is a good basketmaker. She
makes good birchbark baskets; some of the best in Wisconsin. Another friend of mine also works with
birch. Hes a good canoe builder with birch bark canoes. He makes traditional canoes, the old fashioned
way. He goes out and gets the trees and the cedar, and strips the cedar, and getting the roots, and the bark.
He makes the canoe from scratch.

Do a lot of people use these canoes?

No, not so much. They are mostly for show. I know he made like 4 or 5 of them and they are hanging
in some of the tribal casinos and tribal administration buildings. No, they are not used as much on the
water today as they were years ago. When he first started making those canoes, I dont know how he got
started, but years and years ago. I remember I was a younger man, and they made a huge canoe. They
made some smaller ones, and that Fall they were going to take them on the Mississippi and go down to
New Orleans. They started going down and ran into a lot of problems with ice. They were spending so
much time just trying to mend up those canoes. I dont know how far down they went before they pulled
their trip back because it was too cumbersome. They had one of these big voyager canoes, and they hold
so much stuff. We put some kids in there, and we could hardly see their heads. We took them on the
river, and there were a lot of kids on there, like six or seven or eight. They loaded them all on the canoe,
and they were going out to the lake. I think they were going to sink it to do something with the bark and
the canoe. You couldnt even see the kids. All you could see was the top of their heads. Of course, they
used these just for transporting all the goods here, and they called it a voyager canoe. It really was a big
one as far as I was concerned. You have 20 foot or 18 foot canoes made of birchbark. They are very
light, very maneuverable. Today, its nice to see that. A lot of people do bead work. Where were here
in Odena, a lot of people do that. They tan hides and make big moccasins with a lot of beading. Some
people keep that tradition going.
Do you still use canoes for gathering wild rice?
They use canoes for rice, but they dont use the wooden ones. They use the modern day aluminum canoes
or fiberglass canoes. They do that for ricing.

Is rice still important to the tribes?

Rice is very important. We have big ricing programs here at the Commission.

Were you around and working during the spearfish controversy?

I was around and working. Yes. Ive been here 20 years. I went spearfishing once. When I did that I
just drove the boat, and my friend did the spearing, and my friends wife was in the boat. They did the
spearing, and they got a couple of fish. I just tagged along. It was the first time Id been out. When I
worked here, I was going to go out during all the violence about protesting on the lakes and all the racial
stuff that was going on at the time. My boss said you dont want to go out there and do that kind of stuff.
You dont want to go through all of that. So I never went.

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Did you contribute to the solution of that controversy?

I think as a whole on certain issues we did. My place here was the office. My boss used to go out and
do all that stuff. A man from Lac du Flambeau was a big pusher of treaty rights, and a person that really
set up people to understand what rights were all about. As an organization, yes, I think everyone
contributes because sooner or later you meet people that
have the wrong idea. I remember going down to the
Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee, and we had an
I remeber going down
educational booth set up. People would come by, and
some people would look at you and point. Other people
to the Wisconsin State
would come and say you Indians are taking all the fish
fair in Milwakauee, and
or deer. Then you would start showing them figures of
what we really do take, and what were allowed to take.
we had an educational
A lot of time they come here with different views
booth set up. People
because they only hear one side of the story. Thats just
what news people tell them, so in a way you do answer
would come by, and
the problem. People need good education on what the
some people would
rights are all about and how were ruled and regulated. I
think sometimes people should push that a little further.
look at you and point.
If you push that by getting on the Internet or something,
and checking what the organization is all about, you get
a better idea. And thats true education. I think over the
years, weve educated a lot of people in Wisconsin and throughout this country just what treaty rights are
about. We dont get all that protesting today like we did 10-15 years ago when it was really ugly out in
Wisconsin.
ofWisconsin

I think a lot of protesters didnt know and make assumptions from what weve studied, it seems
important that those rights are kept.
True. It is a right. Its a given right. Thats why this whole land thing is so important to the government.
Take the land and let the Indians have rights to what they want to do. Its a hard concept to follow, but
the Indian people never believed any one person owned land. Its just for all to use. People tend to push
that right and exercise it greatly, and do it through hunting, spearing, gathering, whatever they can do.
Of course, we work with government agencies to make it work. Not only for me, but also for my tribal
members and other people.

What was your nations role in the American Indian Movement?

I dont think there was a lot in my tribe. I think AIM was a city-based organization. More people in the
city were probably AIM members at the time. They maybe had more time to pursue issues a little more,
and fight a little more in the political arenas in cities. Sometimes Tribes had issues like in the spring
season. We were more as a supporting force than a force that policed sort of speak. There may have been
a few members from my area who were in AIM. Walt Bursette was a very active person for treaty rights.
He died very young, in his early 50s, I believe. He was around during the spring spearing season. I think
he has a book out called Walleye Warriors. He was a big activist. I dont know if he was a member of
AIM or not, but an activist. An activist tends to fall into a boat with a lot of people like you, so Im sure
a lot of his falling was outside of Red Cliff. There were a few people throughout northern Wisconsin that
were in support of what he did. I wasnt a big part of AIM.

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Can you share with us some of the major political issues being addressed by your nation?
Economic development is always an issue on the reservation. The job structure is not there. Our tribe has
a lot of government-funded positions through allocations of money to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. That
would be a big thing. I think with economic development, it would be a big asset. I think we have one of
the better areas in Wisconsin as far as people coming here for the big lake or the islands. Red Cliff is
located right on the shores of Lake Superior. They have a wonderful campground that I think they, at one
time, were going to turn into a casino/hotel complex. I hope that thing is dead in the water. I hope that
eventually they take advantage of that campground complex, and put something in there that would
generate money for the tribe that they could use on their own, instead of relying on government
programming to keep them going. Thats a big issue. Different elections bring different dreams. Well be
having our election for another tribal chair in another couple of months: July. With new administration,
new ideas are put on the table, so the Bayfield Red Cliff area is a tourist area. They rely heavily on
tourists. People are glad to see summer come because it gives them an opportunity to go out and get a
job for several months. Our infrastructure is a problem. Theres always a need for more housing in these
areas. More people come back to the reservations now that have been out in the city life a little while.
When they come back here, though, there is no work.

ofWisconsin

What is the governmental structure of your nation, and how does it compare to traditional structure?
We have a chairman, which is the chief so to speak. That position is elected every two years. Like I said,
there will be a chairman election in July. Most of our officers and board members are elected every two
years, but its a staggered term. This year we are voting for a chairman, a treasurer, and probably for atlarge members. Next year well have one for secretary, vice-chairman, and maybe two at-large members.
We dont have a whole new council every time you have an election. The term is split for the nine
members on the board. Chairman presides at all meetings. They have monthly meetings. My tribe in the
past has had monthly meetings for tribal businesses and a meeting at the end of the month for casino
businesses. They combine some tribal business with the casino. The two-year term doesnt really give
you much time to do something because lets say youre a chairman. By the time you find out whats
happening in the arena of politics, your term is almost up. If youre not doing a good job, and people want
change, they just vote you out next year, and youre out. Thats the structure, government-wise. Its a
government agency.

How difficult is it today to keep your cultural traditions alive?

I think its hard because if youre practicing tradition, that goes on all the time with you. If youre not,
you only get piece-meal of it, you only do it occasionally, and eventually that will get lost. Somebody
says its kind of like the Chippewa language itself. If you dont speak the language you tend to lose it.
My nephew is a teacher down in LCO. Hes going back to school again, and hes in something called the
Language Immersion Program with his wife. Hes Ojibwe and the girl he met was Ojibwe. They have
two children, and when they talk to their children they talk to them in Ojibwe. The little boy and girl
understand exactly what their parents are talking about. I find that very interesting because here are two
native young people who know their language and traditions, and they are passing it on to their children.
When their children get old enough and start speaking, who are they going to speak it to? Lets say they
get into high school. They are not going to speak it in high school, unless they have some friends who
went to school the same way they did, and they know the language and will be able to talk it. They might
be able to talk to elders whenever they have a gathering, but they just have to keep practicing it otherwise
youll keep losing it. My nephew didnt know the language a few years ago, but he picked it up and
started going to school and college. He started taking courses in language. Then, it caught his attention,
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and he stuck with it, and he turned out to be a pretty fluent speaker when it comes to the native language.
Its good to see that in him, and in my heart it makes me feel good because hes carrying on a part of us.
That will at least go on til hes long gone, and then he passes it to his children, and hopefully they can
carry it. Thats how you learn. He knows it, hes picking it up, and someone else is going to join him, and
theres going to be another person to join. Youve got to
put a lot of effort into keeping the language going.

ofWisconsin

Do you feel your culture is being lost?

I think there are kids practicing traditions, like powwows. They know a little more of what its all about. I
see younger kids going to pow-wows all the time. Not so
many of the teenage kids as younger kids in grade
school. Some stick with the younger kids. If youre
dancing, and youre in high school, then youre going to
keep it going yourself. We dont all flock to that. I figure
there are people who are doing it, and they are doing it
very well in the various communities throughout
northern Wisconsin. Go to a pow-wow, and youll see a
lot of boys and girls and adults dancing. A lot of people
still believe in that. I dont think its losing any ground. I
think it is gaining ground every year.

Go to a powwow and
you ll see alot of boys
and girls and adults
dancing. A lot of
people still believe in
that. I don t think it
losing any ground. I
think it is gaining
ground every year.

Could you please tell us about these pow-wows and traditional foods, and clothing?
Bad River has their pow-wows in August. Its called the Wild Rice pow-wow, and they honor the rice
that was provided. Traditionally, they have all their different regalia on. Traditional foods are served, a
lot of venison and fish. Mostly they have fish at every powwow once a day for dancers. They have a lot
of giveaways. When theyre for families, theyll have a giveaway for the family. Come spring, summer
and fall, they are all over Wisconsin. I dont know, if youve ever been to one, but I always think one of
the bigger, better ones is the Honor the Earth one they have in LCO in July. That is really, really huge. A
lot of people come, and they camp out for two or three nights. A lot of people follow powwows all
summer long. They keep going from powwow to powwow. Some are competitive powwows, where they
dance for money. Others are just traditional. They give you some money just for attending. Dancers
sometimes are asked to come in and given honorary entrances to come in. They try to help that way with
some expenses. They try to help the hosting tribe. People come down to assist. The powwow circuit is
pretty good, and they let the people know what the drumming is all about, and who can participate, and
who cant. I think its a worthwhile adventure if you have the opportunity to go to one. Stevens Point has
one in the fall of the year. The colleges put one on. Andy Gokee is a native counselor at the college down
there that could be contacted. Hes a homeboy from Red Cliff. He works in native studies.

What did you do for recreational entertainment as a child?

As a youngster we never had TVs. We grew up in a world where if you wanted to play, you made friends
and you made a game. You would play tag, hide-and-go-seek, card games, or board games until TVs
came into the area. My friend that I went to school with was probably one of the first to get a TV. When
I was eight or nine years old, I used to spend a lot of time with my friend, so we would get to watch TV
a little bit. It was more of a create your own activities. Get some other kids and go play ball, or go
fishing, or swimming, or camping out in the woods. Stay for two or three days and come home. Then go
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Native Nations

again. Pick berries. The jobs that were available (because we needed to make our own money) would
usually involve picking, so I did a lot of that. Pick beans and apples. Odds and ends jobs.

ofWisconsin

What do you do today for recreation?

Today, my recreation is spending time at home, doing odds and ends around the house and going to
casinos. I like to watch nature films, I like to go blueberry picking occasionally, I like to hunt, I like
family gatherings/picnics. I get out onto the lake sometimes, and Ill go to local powwows. Also, I do
some native stories on the islands and the migration from the east coast up to Madeline Island. I used to
go out and talk to high school kids about drinking and driving after my son got killed. My wife and I have
rental units that we do in Bayfield that we go to in the summer. I have another son here that just got back
from Florida about a year ago, and hes working here in Bayfield. Hes the oldest one. All my brothers
and sisters live in the area. I have a lot of nieces and nephews. Theyre married, and they have their own
children, so we have a big family.
What are your practices in medicine?
I go to the doctor and see what I can get. Some people use the old medicine. They make teak out of
different leaves. They drink different stuff. When I used to get sore throats, I used to take a root that they
called Weekay that grows in the swamp. I used to use that a lot. It kind of coats your throat. Its not to be
chewed, its more like a sucker that you can just suck on, and get the juices. Its a real bitter root. That
always used to help me. Some people still use traditional medicine, but its not advertised a whole lot to
other community members. If somebody is using it, they pretty much keep it to themselves. Its kind of
one on one. Its not calling the medicine man and does this. Although sometimes, when theres illnesses
theyll call a spiritual man down to do a healing ceremony. Theyll come in and theyll do things for you.
Theyll give you directions. Some people believe in that, and sometimes the government will even fund
a person to come down and do a traditional thing for a tribe.

How do you handle stereotypes about American Indians?

Thats kind of a mixed thing. Different people see it different ways. Im not going to go overboard on
that. Every man has his own opinion. Some people find it very offensive to see that, for other people its
okay. Think back about Mosinee and their school mascot. How long was that in place? At what point?
Why did they choose that name? Was it more out of respect for the Native people or was it a slam at the
Native people? Everything today has two meanings. To me, it really doesnt bother me a whole lot.

What are your views on being called Indian or Native American?

I have no problem with that either way. Im Indian, Im Native American, First Nation. In Canada, its
First Nation. Ive been called Chief in the service. They used to call me Chief because I was Indian.
That doesnt bother me. If you started saying, you dirty filthy, f-ing Indian, I think then I would be
offended by that. I havent been faced really with a whole lot of prejudicial terms in that respect. Maybe
Im walking a good road.

Do you celebrate Columbus Day? What are your feelings on that?

We dont celebrate Columbus Day. Do you?

Not really, my dad gets off of work, but thats the extent.
We work here on Columbus Day. We dont honor it anymore.

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Native Nations

Can you tell us about any key leaders or events from your nations history?
Key leaders in my history Chief Buffalo was probably the biggest one. They say when he was ninety
years old, he went out to Washington, D.C., and wanted to establish a homeland for his tribe. Thats how
the Red Cliff got formed. They were trying to get all the Indians out of here at one time. They pushed us
all over into Minnesota. There used to be annuity
payments years ago. The tribe would get some land, the
government used to come into certain areas and make
Key leaders in my
payments. Then we used to do it on Madeline Island.
history...Chief Buffalo
Then one year they did it over at Sandy Lake. I dont
know if you know about the Sandy Lake stuff, but it was
was probably the
a place in McGregor, Minnesota. They went in the fall of
biggest one. They say
the year for the annuity payment. When all the tribes in
Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin ventured up there
when he was ninety
in the fall of the year, they found out that the payment
years old, he went out
was late and they had no food or the food they had was
contaminated. Delay, delay, delay. A lot of Indians died
to Washington D.C.
at Sandy Lake. Close to three or four hundred died there.
and wanted to
Starved to death or they got diseases and died. The tribes
gave up on that, and started coming home, and a lot more
establish a homeland
died on the way home. I think as a result of Sandy Lake,
for his tribe. That s
Buffalo went to D.C. He was ninety years old, can you
imagine going from Madeline Island out to Washington,
how the Red Cliff got
D.C. back in those days in a canoe, and then on to a place
formed.
where you got onto a train or a steamboat and ventured
to the next place? He made it out there, and with the help
of the people in D.C. he met the President. I think after he got back, more treaties were signed, and our
reservations boundaries got established. Thats how some of the reservations were formed. He was a
chief person in our early history; he was a great leader. Buffalo really looked out for his people.
ofWisconsin

Is there anything else thats important about yourself or your nation?

We struggle everyday with things that everyone else in this world struggles with. We worry about high
gas prices, we worry if we have enough food on the table. We worry about children. We worry about their
education. We worry about global warming, and we worry about the exotic species coming into this great
lake. Our concerns are your concerns. What your parents want best for you, we want best for our children,
and we want the best for our country. Its a day-to-day struggle. Keep on living it. I would have liked to
travel there to meet you for this.

Interviewed by Lucas Mynsberge and Adam

Scehafer

DePerry, Gerald

'2009

D.C. Everest Area Schools