Preserving a Way of Life: Wetland Conservation and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

The ancestors of today’s Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Northern Wisconsin followed a prophecy telling their people to travel westward to seek a new home “where the food grows on water.” The vast beds of manoomin (wild rice) growing in what we now call the Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs on Lake Superior signaled to the travelers that they’d found this new home. Today, the Sloughs, which have received global recognition for their ecological and cultural importance, continue to provide the natural resources to meet the tribe’s physical and cultural needs.

This video was produced in partnership by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources Department, and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Additional financial support was provided by the Brookby Foundation, Forest County Potawatomi Foundation, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (Bureau of Indian Affairs), and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.

Want to download this video? Download the video from Vimeo here. We recommend downloading the 1080p HD version. Please be aware that this large file may take a moment to download.

Special thanks to the following individuals for their help with this video:

  • Mike Wiggins, Jr., Tribal Chairperson, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
  • Raeann Bender, Member, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
  • Kristen Ojaniemi, Videographer/Producer, kristinojaniemi.com
  • Donovan O’Claire, Member, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
  • Dawn M. White, Treaty Resource Specialist, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission
  • Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Archives & Tribal Historic Preservation Office
  • Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources Department
    • Naomi Tillison, Director
    • Edith Leoso, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer
    • Mariah Hipsher, Climate Change Specialist
    • Jessica Strand, Environmental Specialist
    • Nick Blanchard, Water Technician
    • Ben Connors, Sr., Deputy Director
    • Daniel Wiggins Jr., Air Quality Technician
    • Malita Smart, Administrative Assistant
    • Paula Maday, Museum Manager
    • Berthea Olby, Outreach Coordinator
Watch more videos

Next Steps

Learn about actions you can take to protect and care for wetlands.

Share the Videos

Learn about ways you can share and use these wetland videos.

Special thanks to our project funders: