4 Land Cession Treaties in the Great Lakes Area One of the primary purposes of these treaties is to provide a permanent right for tribal members to sustain themselves on ceded territory lands and waters by engaging in hunting, fishing, and gathering as they historically had. Federal and state courts have agreed. Through the years, as tribal members were cited for violating state hunting and fishing laws, Tribes went to court to reaffirm their treaty-guaranteed rights. Federal and state courts consistently have upheld the existence of the treaty-reserved rights. They also established the legal requirements for a tribal self-regulatory system that conserves natural resources and protects public health and safety in the ceded territories. “And we...were placed on this land. From beginning to end it nourishes us: it quenches our thirst, it shelters us, and we follow the order of its seasons.” —appeal of Mishi-Waub-Kaikaik upon consideration of a treaty, “Ojibway Ceremonies,” by Basil Johnston