Land Dispute in Lac du Flambeau: Barricaded Roads and Relationships

Dave Miess and his wife moved north to Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin from an area south of Madison in 2020, after finding a place that allowed him his own stand-alone photography studio. Frequenting the area on camping trips with their children, from the time they were in diapers until high school, strengthened their relationship with […]

Spearfishing Tension Reemerges in the Wake of the Barricades

LAC DU FLAMBEAU, Wisconsin — Perched in a rust-colored armchair next to the wood-burning heater in his garage, Tom Maulson points out all the fishing equipment—traditional Anishinaabe five-pronged spears, more modern poles, worn lures and ice cutting tools—nestled between the Folgers cans, hunting gear and boxes in the room. Maulson, a proud grandfather, smiles from […]

Hopes for Reconciliation: The Denny Pearson Approach

LAC DU FLAMBEAU, Wisconsin — Dennis Pearson stood on the edge of a frozen lake, dressed in black and yellow snow gear and a snowmobile to match. He chose a spot in the middle between his house, located about a mile away, and a neighbor’s house, who houses multiple cars of non-tribal residences that are […]

Fred Maulson: Navigating Both Worlds In A Younger Generation

LAC DU FLAMBEAU, Wisconsin — “We struggle with our own community sometimes, and that’s the difficult part,” said Fred Maulson, son of tribal member Tom Maulson. “We’ve seen and gone off to school and experienced life beyond what we have here.” His father, Tom Maulson, is a former tribal chairman who made headlines in the […]

Hornwinkels’ Marsha Panfil Fights Barricades on Facebook

There are more snowmobiles than cars in the parking lot of Hornwinkels Bear Stube, snow-coated pavement that acts like a continuation of the trails that carve through the woods that cover large swaths of Lac du Flambeau. The buzz of revving snowmobile engines periodically cut through the white noise of the surrounding nature as customers […]

Native Land and the White Man: A Waitress in the Middle

Meghan Combs (Valliere), 30, is a waitress and bartender at Black Bear Bar in Minocqua, Wisconsin and Slo’s Pub in Woodruff, Wisconsin. For the entirety of her life, Combs has moved in and around the towns of Arbor Vitae, Woodruff, Minocqua and Lac du Flambeau. Throughout her three years working at the Black Bear Bar, […]

Living in Two Worlds

LAC DU FLAMBEAU, Wisconsin — In life, many people find themselves at the crossroads of multiple identities through their beliefs, culture, heritage, and history.   Often, these factors can lead to a struggle in defining personal identity and what it means to be an individual but also part of a larger human family. The tribal members […]

Barricades Lead to Facebook Battles

Dave Kivet owns land on Lac du Flambeau. He is active in the community. “I have a property that has been barricaded. I’ve lived there for eight years now,” he said. “I think the barricades are a pretty aggressive act from the tribe. I don’t like it. I think it’s a tactic, and I don’t […]

MPS Work Program for Students with Disabilities

Many students in Milwaukee Public Schools are focused on what their next steps will be after high school, which includes valuable work experience they can use when they graduate. Deandre Ray, a senior at the Milwaukee School of the Arts, is no different and has plans after graduation. “I want to go to Sheperds College […]