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| Chief Willard Leroy Ackley (Gaabaisgon) (photo from Pamela Burley on Ancestry) |
Note of Thanks
I am grateful to Stuart Whiteeagle Ackley for reading several drafts of this post and for providing personal memories and insights about Chief Ackley (a man he knew as Uncle Willard) and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. Stuart recalls Uncle Willard as "a remarkable statesman, even though he was forced into an Indian school run by Catholics in the UP [Upper Peninsula of Michigan]. He spoke English and Ojibwe perfectly and he gave us all Indian names when we celebrated our 1st birthdays." [22]
Stuart also provided the correct spelling for many of the Indian names found in this post. Stuart's great grandfather is Charles Ackley, who was a son of the elder Willard Leroy Ackley (1828-1894), who will be discussed below. Stuart is currently working on a book that tells the story of the Sokaogon Chippewa people.
Ojibwe or Chippewa?
You will see the words Ojibwe and Chippewa used interchangeably in this post. The words are entirely equivalent; Chippewa is the French version of the English word Ojibwe. The Ojibwe call themselves Anishinaabeg, which means "True People" or "Original People". [22], [27]
Ancestry
Willard Leroy Ackley was a descendant of Nicholas Ackley [1]. His line of descent was:
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| Headstone of Willard L. Ackley from Find-A-Grave (photo by Kathleen Engelbretson) |
Willard and his brother Adelbert (also known as Elbert) decided to look for opportunities in the west since their older brother Jesse would inherit the family farm. In 1844, when Willard was just 16 and Elbert was 21, they traveled by horse and wagon from their home to the Erie Canal and then took a steamship through the Great Lakes from Buffalo, New York. They cruised to Milwaukee, and then went to work on a farm in Fort Atkinson as farm hands on a farm that was owned by a friend of the family who had been in Wisconsin for about 10 years [22].
After Willard and Elbert had been working on the farm for about 4 years, they attended a dance to celebrate Wisconsin’s statehood, which was granted in May, 1848. Elbert met a young woman named Margaret Baldwin and they were married Christmas Day, 1848. Willard Ackley and his friend John Hogarty decided to go to northern Wisconsin to try their hand at logging. Their partnership was fruitful, and they opened a trading post near their logging area that served the Sokaogon Chippewa tribe [22].
Willard was the first white settler in Langlade County. At the trading post, he met an Indian woman named Mejawaanokwe, who was the daughter of Chief Migiizi (Great Eagle), chief of the Sokaogon Chippewa Band. Her name means “the sound of wind through the forest” and the above is the proper spelling of Ma-Dwa-Ji-Was-No-Quay shown on the headstone above (she was also known as Mary). Mejawaanokwe, who had a young son, Missabe (which means Giant), had become a widow when the boy's father, Nitoonosk, (who was a messenger for Chief Migiizi) had burned his foot at a treaty signing in 1847 and died of sepsis. Mejawaankowe and Willard were married in a tribal marriage ceremony in spring 1850 [22].
The couple, along with Mejawaanokwe's two brothers were victims of the Sandy Lake Tragedy of 1850, also known as the Chippewa Trail of Tears. The federal government was trying to relocate the Chippewa Indians to the west of the Mississippi River, and devised a scheme that they hoped would effect the move that the Chippewa had so far resisted. The government informed the various Chippewa bands that the location for their annuity distribution specified by treaty agreements had been changed from LaPointe, Madeline Island in northern Wisconsin to Sandy Lake, Minnesota. They were told by the Indian Agent, John Watrous, to arrive in October for their payment and goods. According to the plan, once they arrived at Sandy Lake, Alexander Ramsey, territorial governor of Minnesota, would delay the payments until the waterways froze over, forcing the Chippewa to remain in Minnesota. [23]
Most of the Wisconsin Chippewa canoed there on waterways, such as the Eau Claire River and others. But when they got to Sandy Lake, there was just a US Army person there; the agent with the money and goods was tied up (on purpose) in St. Louis. There was little food and much of it was bad and sickened many Indians. Mejawaanokwe’s brother, Ni-gog died of chicken pox while they were waiting. Many other Indians died there from other common diseases. The Indian agent didn’t show up until late December, and he didn’t have all the money that was promised. Winter had come early and most of the rivers that had taken them to Sandy Lake were now frozen, so they had to walk back to their homes. Many more lives were lost (about 400 in total), including Mejawaanokwe’s brother Wabizhkibanase (White Eagle) from exposure as they traversed the woods to get home. [22]
Willard and Mejawaanokwe had two sons, Charles Ackley (born in 1857) and DeWitt Charles Ackley (born in 1851). Mejawaanokwe's son Missabe took the name Edward Ackley. Dewitt first married Annie (Biimoseegiighizikwe) the daughter of Wilhelm Dinesen and his Indian housekeeper. They had two sons Albert Leroy and James William Ackley born in 1875 and 1876 respectively. No one knows what happened to Annie, but Dewitt married a ¾ Indian woman name Phyliss Lorraine Johnson in 1888. They had nine children together, the eldest of whom is Willard Leroy Ackley [22].
Interesting side note: Wilhelm Dinesen was a Danish man who came to America to live among the Indians. He built a cabin near the Sokaogon, and fathered a daughter. He only lived near Mole Lake for a couple of years before returning to Denmark. He is also the father of author Karen Blixen, who went by the pseudonym Isak Dinesen [22]. Isak Dinesen is the author of Out of Africa, Seven Gothic Tales, Shadows on the Grass, and Babette's Feast [24].
Tribal History
According to Sokaogon legend, "Family clans migrated from eastern Canada to Madeline Island [in northern Wisconsin in Lake Superior] a thousand years ago, led by a vision that their journey would end in a land where the 'food grows on water' - Manoomin or wild rice. The Sokaogon Chippewa Community's journey ended here in this area of abundant wild rice." [5]
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community became known as the "Lost Tribe" in the mid-1850s. The Chiefs preceding Willard, who were his ancestors, negotiated a series of treaties with the government that were to have given them land for a reservation. Chief Wabesheshi, or the Great Marten, signed various treaties in 1826, 1837, 1842, and 1847 that ceded their land to the federal government in exchange for payments of cash and various goods to the Sokaogon people, but no land they could call home. His successor, Chief Migiizi, signed additional treaties in 1854 and 1855 that would have finally given the Sokaogon band possession of the land they so desperately needed. The proposed reservation was to have been about 12 square miles in area (about 7,600 acres). However, the legal title to the reservation from the treaty of 1854 was lost when the agent who was sent to Washington to confirm the treaty drowned in a shipwreck on Lake Superior. Without the legal documents confirming their right to the land, the Sokaogon Chippewa Band was denied their land, and they became the "Lost Tribe" with no place to call home. The fight to obtain what was rightfully theirs would continue for almost 80 years until Chief Willard Leroy Ackley finally secured the land in the 1934 Reorganization Act [5], [13], [15].
Willard Leroy Ackley
Willard Leroy Ackley was born in a traditional Ojibwe wigwam on the shores of Bishop Lake in Forest County, Wisconsin [5]. His birthday is consistently listed as December 25th, but the year varies from source to source. The Sokaogon Community website gives his birth year as 1889 [5], his death certificate gives 1885 [6], and the Indian Census for 1937 gives 1890 [7].
Willard was the last hereditary Chief of the Sokaogon Chippewa. His 2nd great grandfather, Wabesheshi, was chief in the early 19th century when many of the treaties mentioned above were signed. His son Migiizi became chief when Wabesheshi died. Chief Migiizi signed the treaties of 1854 and 1855, and lived for only a few more years after that. His son, Waabizhkibanasee became chief next, and he took up the cause of getting the land that was promised to his father, to no avail. When he died, John Seymour (Wambash) became chief, and Edward Ackley (Missabe), son of Mejawaanokwe (wife of Willard Leroy Ackley, Sr.) was made chief when Wambash passed. Missabe again took up the cause of securing the reservation for his people, and in 1925 travelled to Washington to promote the cause. He too was unsuccessful, and died in 1927. His brother, Dewitt Ackley, was to become chief upon Edward's death, but he was ill and signed a release of chieftainship and passed the role to his son Willard Leroy Ackley. Willard assumed the role of chief in 1929. [13], [15]
Willard was a carpenter by trade, and helped build many of the homes that replaced the wigwams around Mole Lake [14]. He was also regarded as an expert in many Ojibwe customs. He taught many of these customs to the community, including the use of traditional plant medicines, hunting and fishing, and the creation of birch bark crafts [5]. His greatest achievement was his leadership in securing the reservation land for his people after a long, relentless struggle with the bureaucracy of the U.S. government.
Chief Ackley began his efforts to build a better life for his people working with Congressman George J. Schneider, who in 1930 introduced a bill to appropriate funds for an investigation into the living conditions and tribal rights of Native Americans. It was agreed that the "Lost Tribe" would be the first group to be investigated. Congressman Schneider's goal was for the federal government to purchase land, perhaps as much as 40 acres per member, and turn it over to the Sokaogon Chippewas [18]. A census of the tribe was taken, but nothing concrete came of Chief Ackley and Congressman Schneider's efforts. Chief Ackley was undeterred, and continued corresponding with the government trying to get real solutions for his people [13].
In 1934, Willard met with John Collier, head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs under President Franklin Roosevelt, to discuss the Indian Reorganization Act, also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act or the Indian New Deal. The act was designed to give Native Americans greater control over their lands, establish their own tribal constitutions, and set up their own local governments. It also provided much-needed funding for healthcare and schools on reservations [16]. During the meeting, Collier asked Chief Ackley where the Sokaogon Chippewas wanted to establish their reservation, and Chief Ackley told him that they desired the area around Rice Lake because of the availability of wild rice as a food source. Collier agreed that the government would buy the land [13]. In 1937, an area of 1,745 acres was purchased and the Mole Lake Reservation was established. A constitution was accepted in October, 1938 [17].
Chief Ackley continued to fight for his people even after he secured reservation lands for the tribe in 1937. In 1944, he testified before a Congressional committee that was investigating the conditions on Indian lands throughout the country. Although the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 had helped his people tremendously, he knew there was much more that needed to be done. He talked about the need for more land, specifically timberland, and the requirements for financial aid, a school, and a hospital on the reservation [13]. He also led the efforts to get electricity supplied to the reservation in 1947 and a new waterworks in 1967 [14].
Chief Willard Ackley died on 2 Nov 1969, but his legacy continues to live on. Chief Willard Ackley Day is celebrated every year on the Friday before Christmas (which was his birthday) [8]. According to Fred Ackley, Willard's nephew, "'He was a true leader of the people. He represented the Great Spirit, and everything that's good about Indian people,' Fred said. 'He taught myself and many others what it means to be a good person - to be a good human being. Through him our Tribe has survived.'" [5]
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community
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| Map from Wisconsin First Nations Website [9] |
The Mole Lake Ojibwe Reservation can be found in the northeast part of the state, and is by far the smallest of the reservation areas in Wisconsin. In 2020, the Mole Lake Indian Reservation was 2.94 square miles; there is also an additional 2.16 square miles of off-reservation trust land [11]. Off-reservation trust land is land outside a reservation held by the Interior Department for the benefit of a Native American tribe or a member of a tribe. Off-reservation trust lands are typically used for housing, agriculture or forestry, and community services such as health care and education. The total population of the reservation and off-reservation trust land in the 2020 census was 507 [12].
Much of the economic activity on the reservation comes from the Mole Lake Casino Lodge. According to a local newspaper:
"The introduction of bingo and casinos drastically altered unemployment on the reservation from 80% to 10% in just a few years. It helped to reduce the need of federal dependency for many tribal members. Today the tribe plans to utilize much of its revenue by spending it on cultural restoration projects, environmental planning of the resources, education of its members and social programs that enhance the general health of the tribe." [8]
Below is a close-up map of the reservation boundaries (the yellow portion of the map).
Note that there are three lakes on or bordering the reservation. Bishop Lake, where Willard was born, is the lake to the west. The small lake to the south is Mole Lake, and the larger lake completely within the borders of the reservation is Rice Lake. The wild rice (the Ojibwe word is manoomin) that grows on Rice Lake was an important factor in the choice of this area for the site of the Mole Lake Reservation. According to a recent article in a local newspaper:
"When the government forced the original inhabitants of northern Wisconsin, the Ojibwe, onto reservations a fraction of the size of their territory almost 200 years ago, tribal leaders knew exactly which tracts of land would be best for their people.
They chose areas that had the best lakes and wetlands that produced wild rice unique to this part of the world.
'When the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) agent came to ask why we chose this place for our reservation, our chief showed him a handful of wild rice,' said Peter McGeshick III, a rice chief with the Sokaogon Community of Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who has been harvesting rice for more than 50 years on the reservation in Forest County in northeast Wisconsin." [10]
Wild rice harvesting remains an important part of the Sokaogon culture, and the Sokaogon Community sponsors a manoomin camp to teach the traditional harvesting techniques to local youth. Most of the rice is harvested for home and ceremonial use.
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| Arlyn Ackley, Jr. and a manoomin camper harvest rice on the reservation [10] |
Modern times have brought some modern problems for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. In 1975, a large zinc-copper sulfide deposit was discovered adjacent to the Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa Reservation. The Exxon Minerals Company was planning to mine about 55 million tons of sulfide ore during the 30 year life of the project [19]. As is the case with many projects of this type, the positive economic benefits of the project were pitted against the negative environmental impacts to the area.
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community was especially concerned about the impacts on groundwater and the lakes and rivers in the area, as well as the potential to disturb ancient burial sites. A 28-year fight over the project ensued, and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community joined a coalition of sports fishermen, environmentalists, and the Potawatomi, Menominee, and Mohican tribes to oppose the mine. The conflict played out in the press and the courts, including a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that the concept of "Treatment as a State" status for Indian nations applied to setting and enforcing environmental standards. This meant the tribes could set their own, potentially far more restrictive limits than those of the state Department of Natural Resources, essentially meaning a potential Crandon mine would have to be completely free of pollution [20]. This made the project economically unviable for the mining company, and in 2003, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community and Forest County Potawatomi Tribe joined together and bought the proposed mine site and the mineral and timber rights for $16.5 million using casino revenues. The tribes have no plans to mine the mineral deposits [21].
In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Ojibwe became embroiled in a controversy over fishing and hunting rights. In the treaties of 1837 and 1842 mentioned above, they had retained their rights to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice and maple sap on the lands they had ceded to the federal government. In the years following those treaties, the tribe and the state of Wisconsin argued almost continuously about those rights, including whether the rights extended to all land ceded to the government or only land on reservations. The fight finally came to a head in 1983 when a federal appeals court in Chicago "asserted that Wisconsin had no rights to regulate fishing on Ojibwe reservations and, more importantly, that the 1837 and 1842 treaties guaranteed Ojibwe rights to hunt and fish off their reservations without being bound by state regulations. This decision, commonly called the Voigt Decision, was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court that same year." [25]
The court win did not end the controversy. As the Ojibwe began to exercise their rights, non-Indian sports fisherman began to protest.
"They believed the federal court had given the Ojibwe special privileges. Whites also complained that the Ojibwe were allowed to harvest fish using methods employed by their ancestors but which were illegal for other fishermen. For centuries, the Ojibwe used torches on the ends of their canoes to attract fish and then speared them. The Ojibwe continued to use this method but used flashlights, metal spears, and aluminum boats." [25]
The protests turned ugly, and at times were racist and violent. Protesters showed up at boat landings, harassing tribal members, including throwing rocks and full cans of beer at the Ojibwe fishermen. The protests sprang from a complete ignorance of the customs of the Ojibwe and lack of understanding that the practice had been part of their culture for hundreds of years. As Wayne LaBine, an Ojibwe fisherman put it, "I never thought that people could be so cruel about fish and not recognizing somebody’s culture and how they did things. I mean, we’ve been doing this for thousands of years." [26]
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| Photo of protesters from WXPR Public Radio [26] |
The controversy mostly died down in the early 1990s. The Ojibwe people demonstrated their commitment to be responsible stewards of the fish population early on. For example, in 1987 the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources established a limit of 82,000 walleye fish that could be taken by the Ojibwe; they actually harvested only a little over 21,000, while non-Indian sports fisherman caught over 839,000 walleye. The Ojibwe have established their own fish hatcheries, and restock the lakes with a number greater than the number they take out every year [25]. The harvest is also highly regulated. During spearfishing season teams from the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission are stationed at all of the boat landings, and they weigh, measure, and document every fish brought in by tribal members. Violations of size and/or number of fish can result in a tribal court citation or even loss of fishing privileges [26]. Ojibwe of today are showing the same respect and reverence for nature's bounty as their ancestors did a thousand years before them.
Quote of the Day
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
-- Martin Luther King
Link of the Day
This is a link to the Congressional testimony of Chief Willard Ackley that took place in 1944 during an investigation into conditions on reservations:
This document contains Chief Ackley's testimony as well as a written statement that was inserted into the record that contains a great deal of detail about the promises made in the various treaties signed by Chief Ackley's predecessors.
2. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN4Y-22R : 13 August 2016), Willard L Ackley, Ackley, Lincoln, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district ED 59, sheet 271B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1433; FHL microfilm 1,255,433.
3. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
4. Dessureau, Robert M., History of Langlade County Wisconsin, From U.S. Government Survey to Present Time, With Biographical Sketches, (Antigo, Wisconsin: Berner Bros. Publishing Co., 1922), p. 266.
5. Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Mole Lake Band. "History : Sokaogon Chippewa Community". Website, accessed 27 Feb 2023.
6. State of Wisconsin, Department of Health and Social Services. Original Certificate of Death for Willard Leroy Ackley. Found on find-a-grave.com, memorial #171248539 (viewed online 7 Mar 2023).
7. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC; Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; Record Group: 75; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Series: Microfilm Publication M595. Viewed at Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
8. Passon, Kevin. "Celebrate Sokaogon Chippewa, local history during Native November." Antigo Daily Journal, 29 Nov 2022 (viewed online 27 Feb 2023).
9. Wisconsin First Nations, American Indian Studies in Wisconsin. "Current Tribal Lands Map and Native Nations Facts". Website, visited on 1 Mar 2023.
10. Vaisvilas, Frank. "As Wisconsin’s wild rice season nears, here’s what to know about tribal and public harvesting and blue-green algae." Green Bay Press Gazette, 24 Aug 2022 (viewed online 1 Mar 2023).
11. U.S. Census Bureau. "2020 Gazetteer Files". census.gov. Retrieved 1 Mar 2023.
12. U.S. Census Bureau. "2020 Decennial Census: Sokaogon Chippewa Community and Off-Reservation Trust Land, WI". data.census.gov. Retrieved 1 Mar 2023.
13. Investigate Indian Affairs: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee of Indian Affairs, 78th Congress, Second Session. United States: n.p., 1943.
14. Glasgow, Olive. "Chippewa Chief Devoted Life to 'Lost Tribe'". Green Bay Press Gazette, 11 Nov 1969, p. 31.
15. Ehlert, Edward. "A Chippewa Indian Tells The Story of Her Life, the Story of How the Chippewa Indians Realized Their Basic Human Needs, as told by Mrs. Alice Randall". Manitowoc Historical Society, Monograph 23, 1974 series (PDF downloaded from University of Wisconsin Library).
16. History Channel. "Indian Reorganization Act is signed into law". https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/indian-reorganization-act-signed-into-law-fdr website (viewed online 6 Mar 2023).
17. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. "Sokaogon Chippewa Community". https://dpi.wi.gov/amind/tribalnationswi/sokaogon website (viewed online 6 Mar 2023).
18. Sannon, Leo V. "'Lost Tribe' Is Not Far From Appleton". Appleton Post-Crescent. 14 Aug 1930, p. 5.
19. Gedicks, Al. "War on Subsistence: Exxon Minerals/Rio Algom vs. WATER
(Watershed Alliance to End Environmental Racism)". Wisconsin Resources Protection Council. http://www.wrpc.net/waron.html website (viewed online 6 Mar 2023).
20. “Crandon mine,” Wikimedia Foundation, last modified Oct. 23, 2022, 13:10, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crandon_mine#.
21. Seely, Ron. 2003. "Tribes Will Pay $16.5 million for Mine Site: The Sokaogon Mole Lake Chippewa and Forest County Potawatomi are Elated by the Deal." Wisconsin State Journal, 10/29/2003, A1.
22. Ackley, Stuart Whiteeagle. E-mail correspondence with the author. March 2023.
23. Minnesota Historical Society. "Sandy Lake Tragedy". https://www.mnopedia.org/event/sandy-lake-tragedy website (viewed online 13 Mar 2023).
24. “Karen Blixen,” Wikimedia Foundation, last modified Jan. 15, 2023, 10:59, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Blixen.
25. Milwaukee Public Museum. "Spearfishing Controversy". https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-112 website (viewed online 13 Mar 2023).
26. Meyer, Ben. "Spearing walleye, fighting misconceptions: a night with tribal members on a Northwoods lake". 24 May 2022. WXPR Public Radio website https://www.wxpr.org/native-american-news/2022-05-24/spearing-walleye-fighting-misconceptions-a-night-with-tribal-members-on-a-northwoods-lake (viewed online 13 Mar 2023).
27. Milwaukee Public Museum. "The Ojibwe are an Algonkian-speaking tribe and constitute the largest Indian group north of Mexico". https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-151 website (viewed online 14 Mar 2023).
