As Long as the Grass Grows · Episode 14 of 15 · 39 min
The "Lost Tribe" the Treaties Forgot Entirely
Every other episode concerns a broken promise, but this one is about a promise never made. The St. Croix Chippewa were left out of the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe and lost their federal identity for eighty years, known as the lost tribe until 1934. Set against the 1850 Sandy Lake Tragedy, it ends with a modern echo in Alaska Natives, offered no treaties.
Who's who
- Little BuckRemembered as the St. Croix leader who signed the 1854 treaty under another band
- Chief BuffaloAged La Pointe Ojibwe head chief who went to Washington in 1852 to stop removal
- Zachary Taylor+3 more episodesPresident under whom the 1850 removal order was issued
- Alexander Ramsey+1 more episodeMinnesota Territory governor involved in the annuity scheme
- John WatrousIndian sub-agent involved in the annuity scheme
- Millard Fillmore+1 more episodePresident pressed to rescind the removal order
Where it happens
- Big Sandy Lake, Minnesota+1 more episodeSite of the 1850 Sandy Lake Tragedy
- La Pointe, WisconsinSite of the 1854 treaty and the original annuity payment site
- Sand Lake, Burnett County, Wisconsin+1 more episodeHeadquarters of the St. Croix Chippewa
- Alaska+11 more episodesModern echo where Natives were offered no treaties
Timeline
- 1837The White Pine Treaty cedes St. Croix watershed land with hunting and gathering rights retained
- 1850A removal order and moved annuity site lead to about 400 Ojibwe deaths in the Sandy Lake Tragedy
- September 30, 1854The Treaty of La Pointe creates reservations; the St. Croix band is left out
- 1934The Indian Reorganization Act restores St. Croix federal recognition
- 1938Reservation and trust lands are secured for the tribe
Still debated
The Sandy Lake toll of about 400 is an estimate. Accounts differ on why the St. Croix were omitted, whether their leader signed under another band or leaders stayed away, and whether the 1971 Alaska settlement is a fair settlement or continued exclusion.
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