Una Ross and Brian Frank greet people as they walk into the Nicolet College theater for a showing of the Bad River Documentary.
Both are Native American students enrolled in Nicolet’s Tribal Business Management Program.
“This is really important to us,” said Frank.
The showing and discussion were presented by Nicolet College Tribal Students and Alumni Club along with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and 350 Wisconsin.
It’s the second time they hosted a showing at Nicolet College.
Bad River details the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s fight to remove Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline from its reservation in northern Wisconsin.
Parts of the line have become exposed over the years and the Tribe fears a leak would cause environmental devastation to their land and waterways including Lake Superior.
To better understand the fight they’ve undertaken, the documentary takes people through a lot of the history leading to this moment, including boarding schools, the termination and relocation policies in the 1950s, and the walleye wars.
“When I was in school, they didn't teach this history like we're getting. This was so eye opening to me,” said Ross. “There was so much I did not know, and because of that assimilation and christianizedness, we never learned that.”
Following the showing, two Bad River Tribal Members who were interviewed in the documentary answered questions about the process, their community, and what it’s been like seeing this documentary being played across the U.S. and Canada.
Bad River’s story of defiance stuck with Ross.
“You need to know what's going on in your tribe, what's happening with your land, fight for your rights,” said Ross.
For Frank, it’s about respecting Mother Earth.
“Water is life. You know we need that for our fishes, and for the rice, if they pollute that, you know, the rice grows in there. There's things that need that water to grow and to feed people and the animals,” said Frank.
Both talked about how issues like this are important for their children and future generations.
In 2023, a federal judge ordered Enbridge to shutdown or reroute Line 5 by June 2026.
Both the Tribe and Enbridge have appealed the decision.
The Bad River documentary is now streaming on Peacock.
