Erma Vizenor

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Erma Jean Vizenor is an Ojibwe politician and educator. She served as the tribal chair of the White Earth Nation from 2004 to 2016. Under her leadership, White Earth adopted a new tribal constitution. She served as an educator in the White Earth Indian Reservation for 20 years. Vizenor was president of Leech Lake Tribal College in 2016.

Contents

Vizenor earned her doctoral education degree from Harvard University. She also earned degrees from North Dakota State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Early life and education

Erma Jean Vizenor was born in 1944 in Cass Lake, Minnesota. [1] Her traditional Ojibwe name, given to her by her grandmother, is Esh-quay-gah-bowah-e-quay and means "the last standing woman". [2] She was the first member of her family to complete high school, graduating from Park Rapids High School in 1964. [1]

She started attending Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1968. [3] She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education at Moorhead, graduating magna cum laude. She earned her M.S. in guidance and counseling from North Dakota State University and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in educational administration. She earned her EdD from Harvard University. [4] [5]

Career and activism

Vizenor worked as a teacher in the White Earth Indian Reservation for 20 years. [1] She taught elementary students at Pine Point School, an alternative school. She also taught classes in Ojibwe language and culture. [6]

Beginning in July 1991, Vizenor led protests against corruption within the tribal government. She and others protested kickbacks related to the then-proposed Shooting Star Casino on the White Earth Indian Reservation, [7] participating in a takeover of the tribal headquarters for which Vizenor and 28 others were arrested. [5] Later that year, she and other White Earth representatives met with an agent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to discuss the disperal of funds from the White Earth Land Settlement Act (WELSA). [8] The events led to Camp Justice, a reform movement that lasted five years [9] and concluded with the felony convictions of two council members and of tribal chair Chip Wadena on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, and election rigging. [5]

In 1996, Vizenor was appointed as White Earth's secretary-treasurer. She was elected to the position the following year, serving in that role until 2002. [10] She ran for tribal chair in 2004 against Chip Wadena. [11] She was elected and became the first woman tribal chair of the White Earth Ojibwe. [12]

Vizenor announced her intentions to reform the White Earth tribal constitution in 2007. [13] [14] She was elected to a second term in 2008 and called for a constitutional convention. [2] Among the changes she sought to implement was opening tribal citizenship to lineal descendants instead of the one-fourth blood quantum requirement, a prerequisite also mandated by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. [15] The old White Earth constitution lacked separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and contained numerous references to obtaining the permission of the secretary of the interior. Under Vizenor, White Earth was at the heart of a nationwide movement to rewrite tribal constitutions. [16] In 2013, nearly 80% of White Earth voted to adopt the new constitution. [17]

Vizenor also called for the amendment of the constitution of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, starting as early as 2008. [18] Her attempts at constitutional reform spurred several attempts to recall her via petition, including twice in 2010. [19] [20] In 2015, members of the governing board of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe voted to censure her and removed her from the board. [14] She resigned from her position as White Earth's tribal chair on January 20, 2016. [10]

Vizenor wrote the 2016 novel Treaty Shirts: October 2034 — A Familiar Treatise on The White Earth Nation. The novel is set in a dystopian future where reservations are diminished to sectors that serve the commercial interests of a totalitarian federal government. [21] In 2016, she was named president of Leech Lake Tribal College, succeeding interim president Ginny Carney. [22]

Personal life

Erma was married to Dallas Vizenor (d. 1998). [2] She is active within the Episcopal church and participates in Ojibwe language hymn singing. [23] She is related by marriage to Gerald Vizenor. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass Lake, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

Cass Lake is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States, located within the boundaries of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. It is surrounded by Pike Bay Township. Cass Lake had a population of 675 in the 2020 census. It is notable as the headquarters location of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as well as the Chippewa National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ojibwe</span> Group of indigenous peoples in North America

The Ojibwe are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and throughout the northeastern woodlands. Ojibweg, being Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands and of the subarctic, are known by several names, including Ojibway or Chippewa. As a large ethnic group, several distinct nations also understand themselves to be Ojibwe as well, including the Saulteaux, Nipissings, and Oji-Cree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Lake Indian Reservation</span> Home to the federally recognized Red Lake Band of Ojibwe

The Red Lake Indian Reservation covers 1,260.3 sq mi in parts of nine counties in Minnesota, United States. It is made up of numerous holdings but the largest section is an area around Red Lake, in north-central Minnesota, the largest lake in the state. This section lies primarily in the counties of Beltrami and Clearwater. Land in seven other counties is also part of the reservation. The reservation population was 5,506 in the 2020 census.

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. Though politically folded into the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, thus no longer independently federally recognized, for decades, Sandy Lake Band members have been leading efforts to restore their independent Federal recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Earth Indian Reservation</span> Anishinaabe / Ojibwe reservation in Minnesota

The White Earth Indian Reservation is home to the White Earth Band, in northwestern Minnesota. It is the largest Indian reservation in the state by land area. The reservation includes all of Mahnomen County, plus parts of Becker and Clearwater counties in the northwest part of the state along the Wild Rice and White Earth rivers. The reservation's land area is 1,093 square miles (2,830 km2). The population was 9,726 as of the 2020 census, including off-reservation trust land. The White Earth Indian Reservation is one of six bands that make up the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, their governing body for major administrative needs. It is about 225 miles (362 km) from Minneapolis–Saint Paul and roughly 65 miles (105 km) from Fargo–Moorhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota Chippewa Tribe</span> Governmental authority for six Ojibwe bands in Minnesota

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is the centralized governmental authority for six Ojibwe bands in Minnesota. The tribe was created on June 18, 1934; the organization and its governmental powers are divided between the tribe, and the individual bands, which directly operate their reservations. The bands that make up the tribe are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Earth Nation</span> Native American band in Minnesota, USA

The White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, also called the White Earth Nation, is a federally recognized Native American band in northwestern Minnesota. The band's land base is the White Earth Indian Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leech Lake Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation located in north-central Minnesota

The Leech Lake Reservation is an Indian reservation located in the north-central Minnesota counties of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. The reservation forms the land base for the federally recognized Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, one of six bands comprising the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, organized in 1934. The Leech Lake Reservation has the second highest population of any reservation in Minnesota with White Earth Nation being the largest Minnesota Ojibwe tribe, Leech Lake Nation has a resident population of 11,388 indicated by the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe</span> Ojibwe band in Minnesota

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, also known as the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians or the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is a federally recognized Ojibwe band located in Minnesota and one of six making up the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The band had 9,426 enrolled tribal members as of March 2014. The band's land base is the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, which includes eleven communities aggregated into three districts, as defined in the tribal constitution,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe</span> Federally recognized American Indian tribe in east-central Minnesota

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, also known as the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, is a federally recognized American Indian tribe in east-central Minnesota. The Band has 4,302 members as of 2012. Its homeland is the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation, consisting of District I, District II, District IIa, and District III.

The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) is an intergovernmental body established by the U.S. state of Minnesota to serve as a liaison between state government and the Native American tribes residing within the state's boundaries. Created by the Minnesota Legislature, MIAC aims to improve relationships, facilitate dialogue, and address issues of mutual concern between the State of Minnesota and the tribal governments. The council plays a critical role in advising on policy, advocating for indigenous rights, and promoting cultural understanding.

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. The majority of the St. Croix Band are divided into two groups: the federally recognized St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Minnesota, who are one of four constituent members forming the federally recognized Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The latter is one of six bands in the federally recognized Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians</span> Ethnic group

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Olson, David (May 30, 2004). "Vizenor has spent years protesting". InForum.
  2. 1 2 3 Coleman, Nick (2014). "The Last Standing Woman". bMagazine. Bush Foundation.
  3. ↑ "Life Transformed Erma Vizenor at Minnesota State University Moorhead". Minnesota State University. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ Murray, Jim (2012). A Wasicu (White Man) in Indian Country. pp. 173–174. ISBN   978-1-4691-3940-1.
  5. 1 2 3 Rostkowski, Joëlle (2012). Conversations with Remarkable Native Americans. State University of New York Press. p. 43. ISBN   978-1-4384-4176-4.
  6. ↑ Bellanger, Patricia; Reese, Lillian (July 1983). Contemporary American Indian Women: Careers and Contributions (PDF). Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Cass Lake. p. 33.
  7. ↑ Flood, Gerald (September 23, 1991). "Casino called bad bet". Winnipeg Free Press. p. 1.
  8. ↑ Fletcher, Matthew L. M. (2024). American Indian Tribal Law. Aspen Publishing. ISBN   979-8-88906-161-8.
  9. ↑ Krausová, Anna (April 3, 2019). "Rebuilding the White Earth Nation through Constitutional Reform". New Political Science. 41 (2): 192–210. doi:10.1080/07393148.2019.1594503.
  10. 1 2 "Embattled White Earth chair Erma Vizenor resigns". MPR News. January 21, 2016.
  11. ↑ Robertson, Tom (May 25, 2004). "Chip Wadena attempts comeback, despite criminal record". MPR.
  12. ↑ Hirschfelder, Arlene; Molin, Paulette F. (2012). The Extraordinary Book of Native American Lists. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 53. ISBN   9780810877108.
  13. ↑ Doerfler, Jill (2015). Those Who Belong: Identity, Family, Blood, and Citizenship among the White Earth Anishinaabeg. MSU Press. ISBN   978-1-62895-229-2.
  14. 1 2 Enger, John (December 23, 2015). "Power fight could cost White Earth chairwoman her job". MPR News.
  15. ↑ "White Earth constitutional reform stalled by infighting". The Circle News. April 3, 2015.
  16. ↑ Hopfensperger, Jean (July 7, 2013). "Tribes across the country are re-examining their constitutions". Star Tribune.
  17. ↑ Gunderson, Dan (November 20, 2013). "White Earth Band votes to end 'blood quantum' for tribal membership". MPR News.
  18. ↑ Washburn, Kevin K.; Mitchell, Dalia Tsuk (2008). "Felix Cohen, Anti-Semitism and American Indian Law". American Indian Law Review. 33 (2): 593. doi:10.2307/40344831.
  19. ↑ "White Earth Tribal Council rejects petition to oust Chairwoman Erma Vizenor". Park Rapids Enterprise. May 11, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Second petition attempts to oust White Earth tribal council". Worthington Globe. June 7, 2010.
  21. ↑ Baudemann, Kristina (2021). The Future Imaginary in Indigenous North American Arts and Literatures. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-000-52989-0.
  22. ↑ Hanson, Matt (November 14, 2016). "Vizenor Named Leech Lake Tribal College President". Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  23. ↑ Gunderson, Dan (January 10, 2013). "Preserving Ojibwe hymns means more than religious devotion". MPR News.
  24. ↑ Doerfler, Jill; Sinclair, Niigaanwewidam James; Stark, Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik (2013). Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World through Stories. MSU Press. ISBN   978-1-60917-353-1.
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