Remembering Alice Ackley Randall

As a Member of the Sokaogon Tribal Historic Preservation committee, I put together this profile of one of our most outstanding Elders of the

20th century: Alice E. Ackley-Randall, sister of Chief Willard L. Ackley.

My memories of Alice as a child have always maintained my true confidence and hope for the Sokaogon people as the decades have passed. Just knowing her has had a great impact on my life and has enabled my enduring support of our Tribal community.

Our young people today have not yet realized the deep meaning of what an impact true survival against the dominate society means, and the efforts of certain individuals like Alice has kept our community together to survive. Our Elders stood strong against the advent of modern times, in a valiant effort to try to coexist and maintain the traditions, the religion, and our culture. This tiny community ultimately made history and defeated the billion-dollar, multinational mining industry in stopping the Crandon-Exxon Mine. History demonstrates that much of Indian Country was forced to give up or lose their identity and meld into the general society. People such as Alice were the glue which held our community together and she mentored my father as a child in the 1920s-30s until he ventured off to WW II.

This brief composition about Alice is my contribution to her memory, and I am compelled to present this document to our membership, lest she be forgotten. Possibly a young person today may become inspired by the impact Alice has made on the success of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community.

View Memories of an Ojibwe Woman: Alice E. Ackley-Randall.