As White Earth’s land was being stolen and opened up for exploitation, timber companies came in and razed entire forests. These actions were incredibly violent towards the Land and Anishinaabe people. The lumber industry cleared living forests which destroyed ecosystems and species that Anishinaabe people depended on for survival. The destruction of vegetation also caused soil erosion which made it difficult for Anishinaabe gardeners to cultivate. Furthermore, the lumber industry created dams for the transportation of timber which choked waterways and flooded others, harming aquatic life. As a result of flooding, Wild Rice beds began to suffer. As Anishinaabe people witnessed the destruction of their land and livelihood, they staged armed protests in 1901, but this only stopped the creation of dams and not the problematic root of the issue, land erasure and settler greed. By 1910, all the original forests in White Earth had been cut over. 

From the aftermath of land erasure and ecological and human genocides, Anishinaabe people found themselves cramped within a ravaged landscape where food was less abundant. Over the years, less and less Anishinaabe people in White Earth learned the ancestral foodways, and so today few know how to harvest wild rice, plant a garden, or harvest maple syrup. In fact, most Anishinaabe homes are food insecure and the food that they do have access to are often fatty, sugary, and unhealthy food from government commodities, school food programs, and convenience stores. Food insecurity and malnutrition is contributing to high rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease and shortening the life expectancy of Anishinaabe people. Furthermore, settler-ran farms and large agricultural corporations such as R.D. Offutt Company (RDO), which grows potatoes for McDonalds, are harming the soil and water with heavy tilling, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides which put Anishinaabe and non-Anishinaabe locals at high risk for cancer. These agricultural practices harm Water, Land, and Human Life.  

The issues of disease and food insecurity connect to a larger issue of sovereignty. If Anishinaabe people do not have control over their own lands and the production of their own food, they do not have control over their health. Anishinaabe people have always recognized food sovereignty as part of tribal sovereignty, and over the years there have been various movements to restore food sovereignty in White Earth. The late Earl and Kathy Hoagland worked to restore seasonal camps of the wild rice, berry, and maple syrup harvests. Currently, the White Earth Tribal and Community College's Extension office is continuing these seasonal camps along with a big push for cultural education and food sovereignty. The Tribal College is restoring a previously monocropped 1 acre field to provide the community with food. In addition, they are offering community members access to garden plots, and free seeds and starter plants. The Tribal college has also been offering workshops such as jam making, building traditional mortar and pestles, and tanning deer hide. The Tribal College's work speaks to the importance of community-based efforts for environmental justice in Indigenous communities. As a people, the Anishinaabe are working to recover from the injustices that Macalester figures such as Edward Duft Niell and Frederick Weyerhaeuser have caused. As Macalester students, we should work to understand Macalester’s past and current involvement in colonization, what we can do to hold the institution accountable, and how to be a good ally to Indigenous communities and their lands.