My inspiration for this work is to recognize the 150th anniversary of the signing of the last treaty between the Ojibway / Chippewa’s and United States. The last treaty, “1854 Treaty of La Point”, established our current permanent reservation. The original six villages and six treaties signed by the Ojibway / Chippewa’s are also embedded in the flag image. The last entry “May 20, 1991” is the final judgment by Judge Crabb to re-establish the hunting, fishing and gathering rights established in the “1854 Treaty of La Point. —Gordon Coons

Gordon Coons is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe of Northern Wisconsin and a descendant of the Ottawa tribe in Michigan. Now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Gordon is a self taught artist, creating and experimenting with a variety of media including linoleum block prints, paintings, pen and ink drawings, and creations in stone, wood, and assembled sculptures. Although his artwork is more contemporary, each piece portrays a unique view of traditional Native stories or is a record or impression of Indigenous history in North America.