Editing La Pointe, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
According to [[William Whipple Warren]]'s ''History of the Ojibway People'' (18xx), ''Moningwunakuaning'' "is the spot on which the Ojibway tribe first grew, and like a tree it has spread its branches in every direction, in the bands that now [1885] occupy the vast extent of the Ojibway earth; and also that 'it is the root from which all the far scattered villages of the tribe have sprung.'"<ref>Warren, William Whipple. (1885). ''History of the Ojibways : based upon traditions and oral statements''. Saint Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society. Series:	Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, v. 5. pp. 79-81. [https://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.0866b_0025_0398/?sp=58 Library of Congress website]  Retrieved March 17, 2020.</ref>

La Pointe was originally the site of a [[fortification|fortified]] [[France|French]] [[trading post]] from 1693 to 1698 and from 1718 to 1759. The current city began to develop in the late 18th century as an [[American Fur Company]] outpost under the leadership of [[Michel Cadotte]].<ref>[http://www.madelineisland.com/history.htm Madelineisland.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929014128/http://madelineisland.com/history.htm |date=September 29, 2011 }} </ref>{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Warren, whose mother was French-Ojibwa, learned from maternal tribal elders that the Ojibwa originally lived near the mouth of the [[St. Lawrence River]]. At the time of great sickness and death, the Great Spirit interceded through Manabosho, a common uncle of the Anishinubag (spontaneous people). Through the discovery of the snakeroot they were granted the rite, enabled through their Medawe (religion), "wherewith life is restored and prolonged." The great Megis (seashell) showed itself as a glossy thing reflecting on the sea. It led them first to a place near Montreal where they stayed for some time. Next it led them to Boweting (Sault Ste. Marie); again they stayed for some time. At last it led them to Moningwunakauning (La Pointe, Madeline Island), "where it has ever since reflected back the rays of the sun, and blessed our ancestors with life, light and wisdom," says Warren. So the flickering shaft of light is the Megis, and La Pointe is the center of the Earth for the Ojibwa.

[[Kechewaishke]], commonly known as ''Chief Buffalo'', was an [[Ojibwa]] leader born at La Pointe in 1759. Recognized as the principal chief of the [[Lake Superior Chippewa]] (Ojibwa)<ref>Although the original term ''Ojibwe'' as "Ojibwa" is now preferred to its English corruption "Chippewa," Chippewa has historically been the dominant English usage, was used in treaties with the United States, and remains part of the official name of many tribal groups: Lake Superior Chippewa, Red Cliff Chippewa, etc.</ref> for nearly a half-century until his death in 1855, he led his nation into a treaty relationship with the [[United States Government]], signing treaties in 1825, 1826, 1837, 1842, 1847, and 1854. He was also instrumental in resisting the efforts of the United States to [[Indian Removal|remove]] the Ojibwa and in securing permanent [[Indian reservation|reservations]] for his people near Lake Superior.

Licensed Indian traders operated at this location and nearby stores at [[Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians|Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation]] and other convenient places.<ref>United States Senate. (1888-1889) Congressional Serial Set. Reports of the Committees of the Senate of the U.S. Second Session of the Fiftieth Congress. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. p 175. [https://books.google.com/books?id=DJ8ZAAAAYAAJ Google Books] Retrieved March 14, 2020.</ref>

Today, the town's history is preserved at [[Madeline Island Historical Museum]].<ref>[http://madelineislandmuseum.wisconsinhistory.org/ State Historical Society]</ref>