Faith in paper [electronic resource] : the ethnohistory and litigation of upper Great Lakes Indian treaties / Charles E. Cleland ; with Bruce R. Greene ... [and others].

During the last quarter of the twentieth century, the native people of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota made numerous complaints that their long-standing treaty agreements with the United States were being totally ignored by their state and local governments. Faith in Paper explores the epic clashes in the federal courts that led, in most cases, not only to the reaffirmation of historic treaty agreements but also to newfound tribal sovereignty. This fascinating story is told through historical narratives describing many of these treaty agreements, the conditions of their negotiations, the different understandings of their content, and their effects on Native people, making Faith in Paper the first comprehensive analysis of treaty making between the United States and indigenous American Indian tribes and providing context in the fields of history, anthropology, and the law. --

Organized around eight of the region's most important treaty lawsuits, the book features detailed descriptions and explanations by each case's lead attorney, some of the best legal minds in their field. These lawsuits include cases on fishery and hunting rights (United States volume Michigan; Lac Courte Oreilles volume Wisconsin [Voigt]; Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin volume Thompson; and Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians volume Minnesota); reservation boundaries (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community volume Michigan; Wisconsin volume Stockbridge Munsee Community and Robert Chicks; and County of Mille Lacs volume Melanie Benjamin and others); and property tax (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community volume Naftaly). Faith in Paper is both an invaluable contribution to the scholarship of American Indian law and a rich resource for Native people themselves as they strive to retain or regain rights that have eroded over the years. --Book Jacket.