Two Democratic candidates for the Minnesota Legislature are criticizing challenges to the Red Lake Nation's sovereignty.

Mary Olson, the candidate for State Senate District 4, calls the attack "racially divisive." "Federal courts continue to remind states that we are a nation of laws � laws going all the way back to the U.S. Constitution �that protect the constitutional and contract rights of the tribes involved in these types of disputes," she writes in The Walker Pilot Independent.

Incumbent Rep. Frank Moe, who is seeking re-election to House District 4A, agrees. "As we all know, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa have been stewards of that lake for centuries and for over 100 years have had legal jurisdiction over parts of the lake in reservation territory through various treaties," he says.

Some Red Lake tribal members are blaming Republicans for raising the issue over control of Red Lake in order to gain votes. The tribe exercises sovereignty over most of the lake.

Get the Story:
Mary Olson: The politics of distraction (The Walker Pilot Independent 8/22)
Rep. Frank Moe: Our lakes need us to cooperate, respect each other (The Walker Pilot Independent 8/22)

Relevant Links:
Red Lake Net News - http://www.rlnn.com
Red Lake Nation - http://www.redlakenation.org

Related Stories:
Red Lake citizens challenge GOP on sovereignty (8/16)
Red Lake Nation seizes man's boat, fishing gear (7/13)