Wayne "Mic" Isham, the chairman of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, delivers the State of the Tribes address on February 16, 2016. Photo from Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa / Facebook
Wayne "Mic" Isham, the chairman of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, delivered the State of the Tribes address to the Wisconsin Legislature on Tuesday. Isham called for greater cooperation between tribes and the state, according to news reports. He discussed a wide range of issues, including education, environmental protection, economic development and stereotypes. “Tribal people are succeeding in all aspects of society just like non-Indian people do,” Isham said, The Badger Herald reported.
Indianz.Com SoundCloud: Wisconsin State of the Tribes Address
Isham's speech was preceded by an invocation in the Ojibwe language by Niizhoo Sullivan, an 11-year-old student at Waadookodaading, the tribe's immersion school. Sullivan and his brother sang for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House Tribal Nations Conference in December 2014. After tribal veterans presented the colors, Michael Isham III, the son of the chairman, led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. He is a fifth grade student in Hayward. Get the Story:
Hayward School Dist. highlighted during State of the Tribes Address (NNCNOW.Com 2/16)
Wisconsin tribal leader dispels myths about American Indians in state address (The Badger Herald 2/16)
State Of The Tribes Focuses On Stereotypes, Need For Improved Education About Native History (WPR 2/16)
Analysis Of The 2016 State Of The Tribes Address (WPR 2/16)
State of the Tribes includes call for more understanding (Wisconsin Radio Network 2/16)
Environment a theme in State of the Tribes speech to Legislature (WisPolitics.com 2/16)
Addressing lawmakers, Ojibwe leader praises demise of Indian mounds bill (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2/16)
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