Thomas Fowler, chairman of the tribal council of the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, called for improvements to tribal health, education and social welfare at the annual State of the Tribes address Tuesday.
Beginning in 2005, The State of the Tribes Address offers an annual opportunity to hear the issues facing Wisconsin’s 11 federally recognized tribes and celebrate common values between the tribes of Wisconsin and the state Legislature.
Emphasis on trust between tribal and state leaders
Fowler emphasized the importance of a trusting relationship between tribal and state leaders, which recognizes the sovereignty and the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves.
Tribe members exist as both citizens of the United States and members of their own sovereign nations with the operation of health care facilities, law enforcement agencies, educational systems and social services. Specifically, Fowler noted the economic benefit of Tribal gaming in the state of Wisconsin, which employs thousands and accounts for millions in state revenue.
“Tribes are not children of the government,” Fowler said. “Tribal nations seek common sense policy reforms that strengthen our ability to govern and protect our own people and preserve our own cultures and control our own lands and resources within our own boundaries.”
After a secretarial election removed blood quantum requirements for tribal members, the St. Croix tribe moved to a model of lineal descendancy, meaning eligibility to become a tribal member is now based on if a parent is a member. Their enrollment department and committee has spent the last year enrolling 765 descendants into the St. Croix Tribe.
“We are no longer measuring who we are by the amount of Indian blood we have. We are St. Croix because of our ancestors, because of who came before us,” Fowler said.
Fowler acknowledged questions about the role of tribes in the U.S. after recent changes at the federal level, reinforcing faith in the strength of the tribal community.
“While our country experiences many new changes as our newly elected president and federal administration transitions in, it is important that we continued to distinguish and differentiate this sovereignty from ethnicity,” Fowler said. “We've always had and we continue to have experienced lawyers, advocates, organizations, counsels, politicians and allies working tirelessly within and alongside tribes to defend and propel tribal rights and sovereignty.”
Continued calls for educational representation, improvements for Indigenous students
Fowler prompted the Legislature to build upon Wisconsin Act 31, which mandates schools to teach about Native American history, culture and sovereignty.
Additionally, Fowler applauded University of Wisconsin-Madison's tuition waivers for tribal members, proposing an expansion to include full tuition waivers at all UW schools close to tribal lands.
“We ask this body to collaborate further and Indian education at all levels,” Fowler said. “St. Croix is in an educational desert and our kids won't all find success moving so far from home, away from their support systems and culture.”
Fowler expressed gratitude to Gov. Tony Evers for grants to local tribal libraries but called for more support for tribal universities and expressed support for proposed bills that would allow for better Indigenous representation in schools and would grant tribes more say in public education.
Moreover, he called on the U.S. House of Representatives to continue pushing for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act, which would research the U.S. government's role in Indian boarding school systems. It will examine the long term effects of boarding schools on Native American communities to identify pathways toward healing.
Fowler cited the importance of recognizing the effects of the loss of language and removal of children from their families from boarding school systems, which has had negative effects on tribal communities.
“The tragedy of boarding schools requires remembrance so that the spirits of our ancestors are not lost or forgotten,” Fowler said. “Many of our relatives turn to self-destructive and unhealthy activities, including drugs and violence that stress our communities and overwhelm our systems. Indian countries are overdue for an honest effort towards reconciliation.”
Addiction, health disparities in Indigenous communities
Fowler called attention to the problem of addiction in Indigenous communities, pointing to data that shows that Native Americans have the highest rates of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalant and hallucinogen use disorders compared to other ethnic groups.
“Overdoses have nearly wiped out a generation of our tribal nations’ mothers and fathers,” Fowler said. “Through the regulation of medical marijuana in the state of Wisconsin, we can work towards moving people off highly addictive drugs, drugs which are killing our people.”
St Croix Tribal Council has taken steps to prioritize harm reduction practices on tribal lands. The tribe has delivered four Public Health Vending Machines (PHVM) to Danbury (Burnett County), Sand Lake (Burnett County), Round Lake (Polk County) and Maple Plain (Barron County). These PHVM were purchased through a grant from the state of Wisconsin, dispensing products like narcan, drug disposal bags, pregnancy tests, gun cable locks, AA books and smudging kits free of charge.
Fowler also expressed the need for medical marijuana in indigenous communities citing the practice of using Cannabis to treat pain, inflammation and “address some spiritual maladies.”
Tribal leaders bring attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls
Since 2020, a Wisconsin Department of Justice task force has been working to address an alarming number of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls among the state’s American Indian population.
A report issued in 2018 by the Urban Indian Health Institute identified 506 unique cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls across 71 cities in the U.S., including Milwaukee and Green Bay. One quarter of the cases were missing persons cases and 56% were murder cases; the remaining 19% were classified as unknown.
Fowler brought awareness to this crisis, highlighting that nearly 85% of American Indian and Alaskan native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, including the over 54% reporting sexual violence.
Specifically, Fowler drew attention to Emily Pike, a 14-year-old Apache girl recently murdered in Arizona, calling on a need for increased funding and federal resources to combat such violence.
“This is too common for our people, and it must stop,” Fowler said. “We must do better for every one of them, say their name.”
Calls for more environmental protections
Fowler called on the legislative body to preserve the Wisconsin environment, recognizing the efforts by tribal elder Lewis “Zhinawise” Taylor. He called for an increase in water quality standards in the state, citing threats of climate change, pollution and habitat loss.
“The protection in preservation of our environment in the natural resources that have sustained our people for generations remains a priority,” Fowler said. “We have a responsibility to ensure clean environmental protection for our next seven generations.”
Fowler concluded by emphasizing the importance of cooperation between tribal and state leaders.
“My grandparents, great grandparents and ancestors knew that a positive relationship between tribes and the state of federal governments only strengthens our communities,” Fowler said. “When Wisconsin is at its best, we all win.”
