MN Native News: Fond Du Lac Band Requiring Permits For Land Access & White Earth Nation’s Marvin Manypenny’s Death

Transcript

MN Native News: Fond Du Lac Requiring Permits For Land Access & White Earth Nation’s Marvin Manypenny’s Death

MARIE: This is Minnesota Native News, I’m Marie Rock. This week on Minnesota Native News, we hear from the Fond Du Lac Band Of Lake Superior Chippewa on a new policy requiring permits for non-band members to access land. We also note the passing of a indigenous land rights and sovereignty activist from White Earth Nation, Marvin Manypenny.

First, here’s reporter Cole Premo with more on Fond Du Lac’s new land permit policy and why it was a needed change.

Fond Du Lac

In northeastern Minnesota, the Fond Du Lac Band is making a change.

A new policy, enacted in late January, will now require non-band members to buy permits to access tribal land.

It’s part of the Fond Du Lac Band’s effort to manage and conserve its resources more effectively.

I talked with Rita Aspinwall, the communications director for Fond Du Lac Band, for more on the policy change and why it was done.

RITA: [0:28] “So this change has been a community discussion for years and primarily driving this change is complaints for the band members about space use conflicts, uh, during hunting, illegal dumping, um, unregulated ATV usage and just a general desire by the band to understand the amount of use by non-members.”

The change was approved by Fond du Lac's Reservation Business Committee last April, but is now being implemented.

Over the upcoming months, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will begin posting all Band-owned lands with signs reading “No Trespassing – Fond Du Lac Band Permit required.”

Aspinwall explained the permit process.

RITA: [1:56] “So access permits, um, are required for any access to the lands as described in the policy. And if you need to review the policy, you can visit www.fdlrez.com. And our policy is, um, showcased on there. Uh, the primary exceptions to this are public spaces like our community centers, our powwow grounds, health clinics and businesses. Um, our law enforcement contractors or employees accessing the lands for official business or their scope of work, uh, do not require to possess a permit.”

The band also says that the policy doesn’t affect outdoor activity, like hunting, fishing and trapping on the reservation. Those activities are governed by other laws, like the band’s conservation code or state hunting laws.

Rita Aspinwall says the policy will take some time to implement and for people to understand it, and the band realizes that.

RITA: [1:56] “we will be doing some public outreach. The media, uh, posting information online as well as posting the signage on our lands and the learning period is kind of, uh, to provide some leniency to the individuals initially with their interactions with, uh, enforcement staff as we acknowledge, like change is always difficult efforts because it's a change. And so this is kind of just like that learning era. And, um, we can, we expect that after a few seasons, um, this won't be a surprise to anyone or that's, that's our hope for the matter.”

So, far, Rita says she’s seen a positive response from band members on the change.

RITA: [2:43] “Band membership is largely in favor of the change so far. Uh, we always expect that they will, there'll be, uh, some individuals outside of the reservation that might feel differently, but our Homeland is all that we have and it's important to us and it isn't public land. So when we signed a treaty in 1854 seeding the entire air had region of Minnesota to the United States, the 100,000 acre of fond du Lac reservation is the only part of that territory we retained for ourselves. And even, even the a hundred thousand acre Fondulac has been diminished, diminished by congregational action and other means over the years down to the acreage we are regulating now.”

Basically, the policy affects about 40,000 acres of land on the reservation.

The Fond Du Lac Band’s resource management staff is now issuing monthly and annual permits to the general public for access to tribal land at the cost of $25 for a monthly permit or $100 for a one-year permit.

Permits for the general public

As stated before, there are several exceptions to the policy, so check Fond Du Lac Band’s website for the full policy.

Marvin Manypenny

In other news, Marvin Manypenny, a White Earth Nation activist called a “champion of the people” has died at 72 years old.

Manypenny, who is the father of now Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, is remembered as an activist and advocate for native people who had no voice, and was critical of both tribal government and the U.S. government.

In a recent Twitter post, Flanagan said quote: “My dad was a force. I was honored to be his daughter. We’ll do our best to carry on his good work for The People. I miss him terribly and will love him always.” Unquote.

OR?

Flanagan called her father “a force” in a recent Twitter post. She also said she was honored to be his daughter and that QUOTE “we’ll do our best to carry on his good work for the people.” UNQUOTE

I’m Cole Premo, reporting from Minneapolis.

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