"Spear an Indian, Save a Fish": Racial Conflict over Natural Resource Use

In the late 1980s a controversy erupted in northern Wisconsin over spearfishing by the Chippewa nation. The Chippewa are guaranteed a certain number of fish each year under a treaty they signed with the U.S. government. In the late '80s the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reduced the annual harvest available to both American Indians and non-Indians. When non-Indians (overwhelmingly whites) saw Indians out spearfishing they were furious, since the number of fishing permits they could get had been reduced. Protesters showed up at the lakes where the Chippewa were spearfishing, carrying fake spears with plastic Indian heads on them and holding signs saying things like, "Spear an Indian, save a fish." This poster also appeared.