Wisconsin Point Burial Grounds returning to Fond du Lac Band

SUPERIOR, WI. (KBJR 6) — Indigenous burial grounds on Wisconsin Level will quickly be returned to the Fond du Lac Band.

Greater than 100 years in the past, Wisconsin Level Burial Grounds of the Lake Superior Chippewa had been destroyed, with the stays of tons of of native individuals moved, to make method for industrial growth that by no means got here to be.

“Individuals generally don’t understand, is that there’s a mass grave proper right here in East Finish, proper right here in Superior,” Superior Metropolis Council President Jenny Van Sickle mentioned. “And it’s due to the violent disinterment of almost 200 native stays.”

On Tuesday, the council voted on the ultimate part of transferring the land on Wisconsin Level again to the tribe, by waiving the standard land-sale charge.

“The purpose of that is for these communities to make their very own choices on their very own behalf, of their very own ancestors, their very own lineage,” Van Sickle mentioned.

She’s been working with tribal leaders and different elected officers to make the transfer attainable.

“We are able to ‘land acknowledge’ all day,” Van Sickle mentioned. “Motion is what issues, the exhausting work is what issues, and that is only the start.”

She mentioned whereas the transfer is an accomplishment, it’s essential individuals nonetheless acknowledge the trauma of the lives and tradition misplaced.

“You already know this land switch doesn’t make something ‘proper,’ however it’s the proper factor to do,” Van Sickle mentioned.

An official reclamation occasion is ready for August 18.

Superior Mayor Jim Paine and Fond du Lac Band Chairman Kevin DuPuis will formally signal the switch deal.

Click on right here for a hyperlink to register.

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