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Wisconsin town wants to put up English/Ojibwe signs

LaPOINTE, WI (AP)--   A town on 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.

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.