"Jeff Weise was the kind of angry, wounded adolescent who could emerge practically anywhere in the United States. But the place where he vented his rage was not typical. The Red Lake Indian Reservation is remote both geographically and culturally, inhabited by a Chippewa band that refused, more than a century ago, to mingle even with other members of the Chippewa tribe.

Today, about 5,000 Chippewas live on the reservation. They have been unable to cash in on the casino boom, and suffer from soaring unemployment and one of the lowest median incomes of all Minnesota tribes. These are the kinds of pressures that can crush families.

The school slayings have made the Red Lake Chippewas even more guarded toward outsiders than usual. And that's a shame. More fluid relations between the reservation and the world beyond might not have stopped the killings. But they could expand the options for more of the tribe's young, in areas ranging from education and employment to counseling."

Get the Story:
The Red Lake massacre (The Providence Jouranl 3/28)
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Relevant Links:
Red Lake Net News - http://www.rlnn.com
Red Lake Nation - http://www.redlakenation.org
Red Lake High School - http://www.paulbunyan.net/rlschools/hs.htm

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