Why these Catholic sisters transferred land to Indigenous Wisconsinites

The first land transfer between a Catholic organization and a Native American tribe took place in Wisconsin in October. The La Crosse-based Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration transferred land that housed their Marywood Spirituality Center to the Lac du Flambeau Tribe.

The transfer grew from conversations about the sisters’ role in Native American boarding schools. Those schools were used to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A group called Land Justice Futures helped facilitate the transfer of the property from the sisters to the tribe. Brittany Koteles, is the co-founder and director of Land Justice Futures. She joins WUWM’s Maria Peralta-Arellano to learn about what led to the transfer.