Fond du Lac elder and fire operations specialist Vern Northrup and Superior Mayor Jim Paine holding torch made by Northrup at Wisconsin Point on Nov. 5
Photo by Alicia Zoltowski | The Promethean
Ishkode aka “Good Fire” returned to Wisconsin Point 150 years later, on Nov 5. The Wisconsin Point fire restoration project has been in development for about three years, with the goal of restoring traditional practices back to the Point and controlling vegetation. “Today we’re here to commemorate an event at least 150 years in the making,” opened Mayor of Superior Jim Paine at the burn.
To understand the impact of Ishkode’s return, a brief history of Wisconsin Point and the research that brought it back is necessary.
Ojibwe Burial Grounds Sign on Wisconsin Point after the Burn Nov. 23
Photo by Ella Hill | The Promethean
Wisconsin Point was originally home to an Ojibwe Village with a traditional burial ground. According to Diocese of Superior, starting in the early 1900s, the Ojibwe people were being forced off Wisconsin Point and around 180 burial plots were removed to St. Francis Cemetery in mass graves, and the rest were left behind. The reason behind this was that U.S Steel could develop an ore dock, yet this never happened. In 2022, the burial grounds and multiple parcels of land were regained by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
According to the National Park Service, Indigenous People across the United States have used prescribed burns to maintain the land and prevent forest fires, and the practice of using fire as medicine has been making a resurgence. A research paper funded by the Wisconsin Sea Grant was done on Minnesota and Wisconsin Points by Evan Larson (UW-Platteville) and Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano (Red Cliff tribal member and University of Minnesota graduate student). This research proved that the Ojibwe people peeled trees and burned Wisconsin Point up until the mid-1800s. These findings became the foundation for bringing Ishkode back to Wisconsin Point.
Wisconsin Point Burn Area Photo from City of Superior
Wisconsin Point Burn Location Photo from City of Superior
The Ishkode itself took place on Nov 5. in partnership with the Superior Fire Department, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, The Nature Conservatory, and Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. The burn was on the Allouez Bay side using Wisconsin Point Road, the Bay, Bird Sanctuary access road, and a man-made fire break with two drop tanks at either end of the burn location. There were 25 certified firefighters on scene from Superior, Fond du Lac, Bad River, and the Nature Conservancy brought the burn boss.
Firefighters clearing a fire break at Wisconsin Point on Nov. 5.
Photo by Alicia Zoltowski | The Promethean
“We [Superior and Fond du Lac Fire Department] should be able to burn on a fairly regular basis. Small areas as we move through, just as habitat management as well as the cultural significance,” said Chief Camron Vollbrecht, the Superior Fire Chief. “They [Fond du Lac People] burned out there, they lived out there, and they used fire to manage their backyard, if you will.” Chief Vollbrecht continued by saying that the goal is to normalize and continue to bring Ishkode back to Wisconsin Point in segments in partnership with the parks department and foresters. Along with continuing the practice to other areas, specifically the Superior Municipal Forest.
Wisconsin Point after the Burn on Nov. 23 Photo by Ella Hill | The Promethean
“We were always told that if this Point did light on fire without like someone managing it like a prescribed fire. The fire would continue to go all the way around and probably burn down the city,” said Valerie Ross Zhaawendaagozikwe. Zhaawendaagozikwe was a student researcher for Minnesota and Wisconsin Points and is a University of Wisconsin-Superior student.
Zhaawendaagozikwe was motivated to do this project by her passion for environmental science and her Indigenous heritage. “[About the first sample found] Oh my God, we are holding a piece of like a tree that one of our ancestors peeled for our canoes. This is insane,” Zhaawendaagozikwe hopes that it empowers students and community members to learn more about fire ecology and the benefit of Ishkode for local forests.
Superior Mayor Jim Paine holding the Torch he used when giving a speech at the Bunge Dock.
Photo by Alicia Zoltowski | The Promethean
Mayor Paine hosted a viewing of the Ishkode at the Bunge Dock across the Allouez Bay for people to view the fire and hear from the researchers, Chief Vollbrecht, and himself. “To light this Point on fire and resort it to the way it has been for hundreds and hundreds of years,” said Mayor Paine. “Action is what matters… that is a land acknowledgment.”
Ishkode will continue to return to Wisconsin Point, and the City of Superior will continue to send updates on when those burns will occur. For more information, The Nature Conservancy and The National Park Service have information on the process, practice, and benefits of Ishkode for local forests.
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Photos by Alicia Zoltowski | The Promethean
