The trip to Keshena was a little more than three hours. The CDP, or census designated place was located in Menominee County, which of course was no coincidence. It was easy to notice immediately how quiet things were. There was a casino and a single gas station near each other on the main road, but activity was at a minimum. One other thing I noticed right away that distinguished this place from a lot of other rural areas I’ve been to is that Keshena didn’t have any underlying atmosphere of tension. Many parts of rural Wisconsin feature properties with “Keep out!” signs and a culture of, “If you’re on my property, and you weren’t invited, you’ll get shot.” As our guide Lloyd explained to us, the land is tightly governed, and a vote is required to even approve the building of new structures. Also, most people know each other, so it’s rare that incursions occur, but they definitely have ways of dealing with them.

Lloyd himself, or “Strong Bear” as he was first referred to by the tribe elders, is the Interim Intergovernmental Affairs Director of the Menominee tribe, which includes about 9,000 members, in Keshena, across the U.S., and beyond. Lloyd says whenever he has a decision to make, he considers the entire tribe and how it will affect everyone, not just himself and his interests. It would be great if that was always a consideration in governments everywhere, because that is why they were created in the first place.

Very modest and personable man with a sense of humor, Lloyd accepted his position somewhat reluctantly when it was encouraged by the elders. He has had a life of struggles, and they saw in him the potential to persevere that he didn’t even see in himself, which is why he was given that particular name by them as they hoped he would grow into his potential.

We were taken to several locations around the reservation to speak with different tribal legislators/council members as well as to see the land. One of the council members in particular didn’t seem too interested in being interviewed for reasons I can only speculate about, but throughout the interview, she seemed to warm up, and by the end, she was reservedly laughing and chatting with me. Maybe she saw us as outsiders and didn’t understand what our purpose in being there was until she saw for herself how the interview was going. The thing that interested me the most about her interview was when she mentioned how her grandmother was an herbalist, or medicine woman, who used natural herbs found outside to cure diseases like syphilis. It would be much easier on the bank account if we could all take a ten-minute walk outside to gather herbs instead of pay out thousands of dollars at the hospital to be cured from illness. One of the tribal members is preparing to publish a book about such matters in the near future, I was told by her.

Lloyd brought us to the Wolf River and explained to us the importance of the sturgeon to the Menominee tribe and how it helped sustain them. He also invited us back for the Menominee Sturgeon Feast and Powwow next April. Both my father and I agreed to return without hesitation, although I was concerned about vegetarian options, which he quickly assured me about by giving a short breakdown of the menu.

One of our last stops was to a small farm that was run by a young man named Donovan. We briefly met his brother earlier in the day while passing him when we were at the Menominee Preservation office and I saw the resemblance immediately. Lloyd knew everyone, it seemed.

Donovan and his family were taking care of a herd of buffalo, which we saw lying down on a small hill off in the distance. He explained to us a fact that not everyone knows — Buffalo are actually native to Wisconsin! I had no idea. Donovan also explained to us how important the buffalo were to the Menominee tribe and how the animal helped him to understand what it truly meant to be a Menominee. Anyone can say they are part Cherokee, Navajo, or Mohawk, but definitely not everyone understands what that really means. He has gotten far beyond the title and deep into Menominee traditions that have served the Menominee well in the past, and his efforts in taking care of the buffalo have also aided the other animals in the present environment in unexpected ways, showing how everything in an ecosystem is connected and interdependent on some level. Donovan also has a root cellar and smokes his own meat for the winter when hunting isn’t at its height. I imagine if there was ever a societal collapse of some kind, Donovan would nonchalantly say, “OK. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

My father and I were on the reservation for several hours, but it felt like several days because of all the people we met and the knowledge that was shared with us, and it was truly an honor. My eyes and my mind don’t see everything, but I think it would be great if there was more exchange between the reservations and the city: field trips, classes, literature, guest speakers- Things of that nature. In American-Indian traditional belief, the four directions of the medicine wheel represented many things, and one of them was the four races. It was said that the intention by The Great Spirit was for the four races to come from the four directions and meet in the middle so they could share their knowledge.

Unfortunately, these meetings haven’t always been smooth, to speak simply about it, but time hasn’t run out yet. There is a lot I don’t know about the Menominee Reservation, and I know for a fact that they face challenges like everyone else, especially after being told some of challenges, but I get the sense there is more of a sense of unity among them than out in the cities. They have a tribe. Basically everyone knows each other, and what is done is done for the good of the tribe.

They don’t have a fragmented system where half of their members are fighting against the other half each and every day while perhaps a third party claims the rewards forfeited by the unsuspecting populace. They are not divided down the middle by every issue and don’t see each other as adversaries in that regard. I’m willing to guess that adversarial relationships tend to be more personal than political there. In the city, everything we say and do has the potential to offend someone else who has a different philosophy. I’m not at all against individualism and one’s right to pursue his or her own mission in life. It’s not about what is better or worse. It’s about differences that can help fill in some of the missing pieces in our lives and perhaps our souls. Yes, there is a lot we can learn from each other when the opportunity is present.