Push for Ojibwe-English signs on Madeline Island

TOWN OF LAPOINTE, Wis. (AP) -- A town on the Lake Superior's Madeline Island may be one of the first off-reservation spots in Wisconsin to post Ojibwe and English bilingual signs.

LaPointe Town Board member Nick Nelson says he'll propose up to $5,000 for the bilingual signs in the next town budget. According to tribal history, the Ojibwe were the original inhabitants of the area and traveled throughout the Apostle Islands for the resources they needed to survive.

Lac du Flambeau tribal member Melvin Buckholtz is also pushing for bilingual signs on Madeline Island. He says the island has drifted from its Native American heritage and the bilingual signs would bring back that reminder.

Buckholtz tells Wisconsin Public Radio News that beginning to understand the Ojibwe language is a doorway to understanding why the area is important.