Native Americans’ virus deaths up sharply
Group is now worst hit by COVID-19 in state
American Indians in Wisconsin are now dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate per capita than any other ethnic group in the state, according to the Department of Health Services.
That’s a change from the start of the pandemic and throughout the summer, when cases and deaths from COVID-19 among American Indians had been relatively low.
Tribal health officials had attributed the early success to stringent health mandates on the reservations, such as social distancing and wearing masks, and frequent safety communications to tribal members.
Then in the fall, cases and death rates started to climb drastically among American Indians, with the largest spike in deaths in November.
Oneida Nation medical officials in northeastern Wisconsin were seeing as many as 40 COVID-19 cases a day in the fall, said Debra Danforth, director of the tribal health department.
“It was frightening,” she said. Between March 11 and Sept. 11, there were 10 deaths caused by COVID-19 among American Indians in Wisconsin. By Feb. 14, there were 85, and those who died included well-respected elders, some of whom were known for their work to preserve tribal history and traditions.
The total number of deaths is much
lower than for other groups, but American Indians represent about 0.9% of the state’s population yet have suffered 1.4% of Wisconsin’s COVID-19 deaths.
This means statistically that there are 163.5 deaths per 100,000 people for American Indians, which is the highest rate, followed by Blacks, whites, Latinx and Asians, according to the DHS.
As of Friday, there were 6,399 COVID-19 deaths in the state.
Tribal health officials attribute the rise in cases and deaths in the fall to pandemic fatigue, the phenomenon across the country of people simply tiring of the health mandates and seeking to visit with family and friends.
Some officials, especially in rural northern counties, also attribute the rise to surrounding communities not enforcing health mandates even though those rules were still strictly being enforced on the reservations.
Jake Godin, spokesman for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community in Forest County, said officials believe three factors contributed to the spike in cases and deaths in that northern tribe: There were numerous in-person celebrations during Labor Day weekend, the Crandon
School District returned to inschool learning in September and a large off-road racing event drew thousands of visitors.
Notable deaths among Wisconsin tribal nations
Many of the deaths were of elders, who are highly revered in Native American societies as keepers of wisdom.
“As Indian people we value our elders so much because they carry that knowledge with them,” said Jennifer Webster, Oneida Nation council member.
She lost both her father, Lee “Gordy” McLester III, 80, and her father-in-law, Donald Webster, 81, to COVID-19.
McLester owned and operated a machine shop on the reservation and had served as a council member who was instrumental to the tribe’s growth in gaming operations and tobacco business.
He also was a member of the Oneida Hymn Singers, which had received an award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008.
McLester also co-wrote and co-edited several books about the history and culture of the Oneida Nation in an effort to preserve the oral tradition.
He died May 26.
Donald Webster died Nov. 16. He enjoyed golfing, playing cards, camping, woodworking and painting crafts for his family.
Barbara Webster, spokeswoman for the Oneida Nation, lost her sister-inlaw, Arleen Elm, 84, to COVID-19 also on Nov. 16.
“Everyone knew Arleen as one of those people who always invited you into her home to share coffee and a meal, and she always was counted on to share to come to family affairs and bring her famous strawberry dessert that everyone loved,” Webster said. “She was the matriarch of her family and always was the one to get us together.”
Elm was a devout Christian and had assisted Oneida elders as a social-services benefits specialist for the Nation and had continued to help them without charge after she retired.
Anthony Gauthier was a well-known Menominee artist who died of complications from COVID-19 on Dec. 2.
His large-scale murals can be seen throughout Wisconsin, including at restaurant businesses in Wisconsin Dells, the Keshena High School cafeteria and at a public display for the Walls of Wittenberg exhibit in downtown Wittenberg.
Demand for vaccines exceeds supply
Tribal health officials are hopeful that deaths from COVID-19, especially for elders, are coming to an end as people get vaccinated.
Tribes throughout the state started receiving vaccines in late December and started immediately administering them to elders and health care workers.
The Oneida Nation had vaccinated more than 1,500 people as of Feb. 19, including all of the residents of its assisted living facility and 78% of its health care workers.
The Menominee Nation has been receiving 300 to 500 doses a week and by Feb. 3 had vaccinated everyone eligible in the first phase under state guidelines, a group that included health care workers and nursing home residents.
Danforth said many tribal members are eager to receive the vaccine, but the Oneida Nation is still waiting on more doses to become available as is much of the country.
“The only issue is that supply doesn’t match demand,” she said.
Frank Vaisvilas is a Report For America corps member based at the Green Bay Press-Gazette covering Native American issues in Wisconsin. He can be reached at 920-228-0437 or fvaisvilas@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to this reporting effort at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA.