Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Encyclopedia
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (Ojibwe language
: Misi-zaaga'igani Anishinaabeg), also known as the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians or the Mille Lacs Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
, is an Ojibwa
tribe located in Minnesota
. The tribe boasts 3,942 tribal members as of July, 2007. Their land-base is the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation
, consisting of two reservations and nine communities defined in the tribal constitution, aggregated into three districts.
that formed in part the historical Mille Lacs Indians
and the Snake River Band of Isanti Dakota that became part of the historical St. Croix Band of Lake Superior Chippewa that survives today in part as the St. Croix Chippewa Indians
of Minnesota, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe have a high degree of Mai'ingan-doodem members.
in the 1930s. In 1922, the various Chippewa Indian Agencies located across northern Minnesota were consolidated to form the Consolidated Chippewa Agency, based out of Cass Lake
, Minnesota
. Under the supervision of the Consolidated Chippewa Agency, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
was organized on July 24, 1936 under the authority of the Indian Reorganization Act
of 1934.
Before that time, the historical tribes now forming the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe were the Mille Lacs Indians
, Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
, Rice Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians
. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe was chartered by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
on October 8, 1939. Inclusion of the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
in this charter caused a dispute between the Mille Lacs Indians
and the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
. The Sandy Lake Band had been recognized as an independent tribe up until it was mentioned in this document. The Sandy Lake Band is no longer independently recognized by the United States federal government, although it retains its own reservation and community, the Gaa-mitaawangaagamaag , in Mille Lacs Band District II
.
The Indian Reorganization Act, together with the Charter of the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, also effectively divided the St. Croix Chippewa Indians
into three groups: The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Minnesota and two separate St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. Like the Sandy Lake Band, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Minnesota became part of the Mille Lacs Band under the Band charter. Similarly, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin divided between those who came under the tribal charter of Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
and those who sought and got full Federal Recognition, independent of both the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe owns and operates Grand Casino Hinckley and Grand Gasino Mille Lacs. The tribe has seen an economic boost since it has opened the two casinos, along with several other businesses, since the early 1990s. Using the generated revenues, the tribe has begun to aggressively invest in community infrastructure and community futures.
governments with three branches of government, modeled after the government structure of the United States
.
The executive branch houses majority of the tribal government's departments, headed by commissioners appointed by the Chief Executive.
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
: Misi-zaaga'igani Anishinaabeg), also known as the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians or the Mille Lacs Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is a centralized government for six Chippewa bands in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on June 18, 1934, and the organization and its constitution were recognized by the Secretary of the Interior two years later on July 24, 1936...
, is an Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
tribe located in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The tribe boasts 3,942 tribal members as of July, 2007. Their land-base is the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation
Mille Lacs Indian Reservation
Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is the land-base for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Central Minnesota, about 100 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul...
, consisting of two reservations and nine communities defined in the tribal constitution, aggregated into three districts.
Clans
There are eight major doodem types found among the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. They are Bizhiw (Lynx), Makwa (Bear), Waabizheshi (Marten) Awaazisii (Bullhead), Mai'ingan (Wolf), Migizi (Bald Eagle), Name (Sturgeon) and Moozens (Little Moose). Due to the historical Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton DakotaMdewakanton
Mdewakantonwan are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti Dakota . Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, which in the Dakota language was called mde wakan .As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast of the present-day United States, where the...
that formed in part the historical Mille Lacs Indians
Mille Lacs Indians
The Mille Lacs Indians are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux...
and the Snake River Band of Isanti Dakota that became part of the historical St. Croix Band of Lake Superior Chippewa that survives today in part as the St. Croix Chippewa Indians
St. Croix Chippewa Indians
The St. Croix Chippewa Indians are a historical Band of Ojibwe located along the St. Croix River, which forms the boundary between the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Majority of the St. Croix Band are divided into two groups: the Federally recognized St...
of Minnesota, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe have a high degree of Mai'ingan-doodem members.
History
The historical tribes forming the contemporary Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe became part of the Minnesota Chippewa TribeMinnesota Chippewa Tribe
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is a centralized government for six Chippewa bands in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on June 18, 1934, and the organization and its constitution were recognized by the Secretary of the Interior two years later on July 24, 1936...
in the 1930s. In 1922, the various Chippewa Indian Agencies located across northern Minnesota were consolidated to form the Consolidated Chippewa Agency, based out of Cass Lake
Cass Lake, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 860 people, 331 households, and 192 families residing in the city. The population density was 753.2 people per square mile . There were 384 housing units at an average density of 336.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 30.12% White, 64.42%...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Under the supervision of the Consolidated Chippewa Agency, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is a centralized government for six Chippewa bands in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on June 18, 1934, and the organization and its constitution were recognized by the Secretary of the Interior two years later on July 24, 1936...
was organized on July 24, 1936 under the authority of the Indian Reorganization Act
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
of 1934.
Before that time, the historical tribes now forming the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe were the Mille Lacs Indians
Mille Lacs Indians
The Mille Lacs Indians are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux...
, Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa are a historical Ojibwa tribe located in the upper Mississippi River basin, on and around Big Sandy Lake in what today is in Aitkin County, Minnesota...
, Rice Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians
St. Croix Chippewa Indians
The St. Croix Chippewa Indians are a historical Band of Ojibwe located along the St. Croix River, which forms the boundary between the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Majority of the St. Croix Band are divided into two groups: the Federally recognized St...
. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe was chartered by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is a centralized government for six Chippewa bands in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on June 18, 1934, and the organization and its constitution were recognized by the Secretary of the Interior two years later on July 24, 1936...
on October 8, 1939. Inclusion of the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa are a historical Ojibwa tribe located in the upper Mississippi River basin, on and around Big Sandy Lake in what today is in Aitkin County, Minnesota...
in this charter caused a dispute between the Mille Lacs Indians
Mille Lacs Indians
The Mille Lacs Indians are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux...
and the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa
Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa are a historical Ojibwa tribe located in the upper Mississippi River basin, on and around Big Sandy Lake in what today is in Aitkin County, Minnesota...
. The Sandy Lake Band had been recognized as an independent tribe up until it was mentioned in this document. The Sandy Lake Band is no longer independently recognized by the United States federal government, although it retains its own reservation and community, the Gaa-mitaawangaagamaag , in Mille Lacs Band District II
Mille Lacs Indian Reservation
Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is the land-base for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Central Minnesota, about 100 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul...
.
The Indian Reorganization Act, together with the Charter of the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, also effectively divided the St. Croix Chippewa Indians
St. Croix Chippewa Indians
The St. Croix Chippewa Indians are a historical Band of Ojibwe located along the St. Croix River, which forms the boundary between the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Majority of the St. Croix Band are divided into two groups: the Federally recognized St...
into three groups: The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Minnesota and two separate St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. Like the Sandy Lake Band, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Minnesota became part of the Mille Lacs Band under the Band charter. Similarly, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin divided between those who came under the tribal charter of Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe are one of seven federally recognized Wisconsin bands of Ojibwa. The band is based at the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation, at in northwestern Wisconsin, which surrounds Lac Courte Oreilles...
and those who sought and got full Federal Recognition, independent of both the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe owns and operates Grand Casino Hinckley and Grand Gasino Mille Lacs. The tribe has seen an economic boost since it has opened the two casinos, along with several other businesses, since the early 1990s. Using the generated revenues, the tribe has begun to aggressively invest in community infrastructure and community futures.
Tribal government
The tribal government structure of the Mille Lacs Band is unique in that it is one of the few Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
governments with three branches of government, modeled after the government structure of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Executive branch
The current Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is Marge Anderson.The executive branch houses majority of the tribal government's departments, headed by commissioners appointed by the Chief Executive.
- Department of Justice, headed by the Solicitor General
- Office of the Solicitor General
- Office of Public Safety
- Motor Vehicle Licensing
- Office of Emergency Management
- Corporate Commission, headed by the Commissioner of Corporate Affairs
- Band Member Development
- Corporate Commission-owned Businesses
- Small Business Development
- Administrative Department, headed by the Commissioner of Administration
- Band Governance
- Facilities Management
- Grants Management
- Human Resources
- Information Services
- Department of Community Development, headed by the Commissioner of Community Development
- Housing Department
- Housing Loans
- Housing Maintenance
- Resident Services
- Public Works Department
- Planning and Zoning
- Roads
- Sanitation
- Water and Sewer
- Facilities Maintenance
- Project Management
- Housing Department
- Department of Health and Human Services, headed by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services
- Ne-Ia-Shing Clinic
- District II Clinic Services
- Aazhoomog Clinic
- Public Health Department
- Behavioral Health Services
- Family Services
- Community Support Services
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, headed by the Commissioner of Natural Resources
- Office of Natural Resource Management
- Conservation Enforcement
- Forestry and Wildfire Management
- Land Maintenance
- Natural Resources Licensing and Permitting
- Real Estate
- Wildlife and Fisheries
- Wildrice Management
- Office of the Environment
- Air
- Brownfield
- Energy and Eco-systems
- General Environmental Assistance
- Water and Septic
- Office of Culture
- Tribal Historic Preservation Office
- Tribal Operations
- Office of Natural Resource Management
- Department of Education, headed by the Commissioner of Education
- Nay Ah Shing Schools
- Nay Ah Shing Lower School
- Nay Ah Shing Upper School
- Minisinaakwaang Leadership Academy
- Pine Grove Leadership Academy
- Early Education
- District II East Lake Education Program
- District III Aazhoomog Education Outreach Program
- Community Youth Services
- Higher Education
- Library
- Cultural Immersion
- Nay Ah Shing Schools
Legislative branch
The current Secretary Treasurer of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is Curt Kalk.- Band Assembly
- Legislative Administration
- Office of Budget and Management, headed by the Commissioner of Finance, appointed by Band Assembly
- Employee Payroll Services
- Insurance Services
- Revolving Loan Fund
- Burial Insurance
- Discretionary Loans
Judicial branch
The Chief Justice of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Rayna Mattinas- Tribal Court
- District Court Liaison Services
Chairman
- late 1930s: ???
- 1940s: Sam Yankee
- early 1950s: Fred Jones
- late 1950s: Jerry Martin
- 1959–1964: James Shaugobay
- 1964–1965: Raining Boyd (interim appointment)
- 1965–1972: Sam Yankee
- 1972–1991: Arthur Gahbow
- 1991–1992: Marge Anderson (interim appointment)
Chief Executive
- 1992–2000: Marge Anderson
- 2000–2008: Melanie Benjamin
- 2008–2008: Herbert Weyaus (interim appointment)
- 2008–present: Marge Anderson
Notable members
- Maude KeggMaude KeggMaude Kegg was an Ojibwa writer, folk artist, and cultural interpreter...
- Jammie Thomas
- Melanie Benjamin
See also
- Minnesota Chippewa TribeMinnesota Chippewa TribeThe Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is a centralized government for six Chippewa bands in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on June 18, 1934, and the organization and its constitution were recognized by the Secretary of the Interior two years later on July 24, 1936...
- Minnesota Indian Affairs CouncilMinnesota Indian Affairs CouncilThe Minnesota Indian Affairs Council was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1963 to provide a liaison between the government of Minnesota and the Native American tribes in the state. The council also brings issues of concern to Indians living in urban areas to the attention of the state...
- United States v. Mille Lac Band of Chippewa Indians,
- Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa IndiansMinnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa IndiansMinnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, 526 U.S. 172 , was a United States Supreme Court decision concerning the usufructuary rights of the Chippewa tribe to certain lands it had ceded to the federal government in 1837...
,
External links
- The official website of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
- Copy of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe's Charter for the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians
- Bemaadizing: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Indigenous Life (An online journal)
- Eni–gikendaasoyang "Moving Towards Knowledge Together" Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Language Revitalization
- Mille Lacs Indian Museum Historic Site