Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Last updated

Fond du Lac Band
of Lake Superior Chippewa
Bandera Fond du Lac.png
Fond du Lac tribal flag
Total population
4,044 [1] (2007)
Regions with significant populations
Minnesota, United States
Languages
English, Ojibwe
Religion
Midewiwin, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
fellow Ojibwes

Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (or Wayekwaa-gichigamiing Gichigamiwininiwag in the Ojibwe language, meaning "Lake Superior Men at the far end of the Great Lake") is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) band located near Cloquet, Minnesota. Their land base is the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation (Ojibwe language: Nagaajiwanaang), located mainly in Carlton and Saint Louis Counties, Minnesota, 20 miles west of Duluth.

Contents

The Fond du Lac Ojibwe are one of six bands who comprise the federally recognized Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, which was organized in 1934 with a new constitution under the Indian Reorganization Act. In July 2007, their enrolled members numbered 4,044. [1]

History

The former Fond du Lac ancestral burial site at Wisconsin Point in Superior, Wisconsin 2009 Wisconsin Point Burial Site.JPG
The former Fond du Lac ancestral burial site at Wisconsin Point in Superior, Wisconsin

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa originally inhabited the area along the lower courses of the Saint Louis River, where the present-day cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin developed. The Wayekwaa-gichigamiing controlled the river access to both the Saint Louis and the Nemadji River rivers, major trade-routes during the decades of the fur trade with European traders. In the same area is Spirit Island of the "Sixth Stopping Place", one of the former seven Anishinaabe administrative centers.

The Fond du Lac Band's regional economic influence helped establish the American Fur Company's trading post in what now is the Fond du Lac neighborhood of Duluth. Two different Treaties of Fond du Lac were signed by the Fond du Lac Band.

In December 1861 a special Indian interpreter in Bayfield organized a trip to Washington D.C. for nine Chippewa Chiefs to meet President Lincoln. The Fond Du Lac band sent two, Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub (he sits ahead) and Chief O-be-quot (Firm). Lincoln gave all a President's Medal with his image dated 1862. [2] There exists a photo of the delegation attributed to Matthew Brady with Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub seated center. There are multiple spellings for Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub's name owing to Americans having difficulty pronouncing the Ojibwe language: Naaganab, Naw-Gaw-Nab, Na-Gon-Nub or Na-Gon-Ab.

On September 2 1862 a letter was sent from the Fond Du Lac St. Louis Reservation to Governor Alexander Ramsey. Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub and Chief Shin-Gwack (Zhin-gob) requested that the Governor relay to Lincoln that the Fond du Lac Chippewa wanted to help with the Sioux Uprising. [3] They understood that Lincoln needed Minnesotans to fight the south and they "begged" that the Chippewa be offered the opportunity to "help put down the evil spirit of their old enemy" who had "murdered men, women, and children." All they asked was "that the weapons be provided and that their family's be taken care of while they were gone". They also offered to accept a "white" commander as long as they were allowed to use traditional Chippewa methods in battle". [4] The letter made the newspapers in St Paul on September 13 and 19, 1862, [5] the New York Times the next day, the Chicago Times [4] two days later.and in Washington D.C. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] A few days later the Head Chief of the Mille Lacs Band took 700-750 warriors made the same offer at Fort Ripley and offered to defend the fort from a rumored attack by Hole in the Day.

Chief Naganab's passing made the New York Times in 1897. [15]

Demographics

Wanesia Spry Misquadace (Fond du Lac Ojibwe), jeweler and birchbark biter, 2011 Wanesia misquadace.jpg
Wanesia Spry Misquadace (Fond du Lac Ojibwe), jeweler and birchbark biter, 2011

The largest community on the reservation is the city of Cloquet, of which only the sparsely populated western half of the city is on reservation land. As of 2000, that part has a population of 1,204 persons out of the city's total of 11,201. The only community completely on the reservation is Brookston, at the reservation's northern end.

Economy

The Band operates two casinos, the Fond du Luth Casino in Duluth and the Black Bear Casino Resort on the reservation. An agreement signed with the City of Duluth, in which property with-in city limits was given to the tribe to build the Fond du Luth Casino in return for profit sharing $6 million, approximately 20%, from slot machine gross revenue, was agreed upon in 1994. Profits are no longer shared with the city due to violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The band has prevailed in court.

On August 31, 2018, the Band reached an agreement to let Enbridge build its Line 3 replacement pipeline across the Reservation. [17] The agreement extended Enbridge's rights of way on the Reservation by 10 years, to 2039. [17] The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. [17]

The arrival of twelve American bison was celebrated in November 2022 which had been absent from the reservation since they nearly went extinct in the late 1800s. [18] The Nature Conservancy provided the animals, known scientifically as bison, to a native-owned and operated business from one of their preserves in Nebraska with transportation assistance from the Tanka Fund. They were welcomed with a prayer, a song, and a community meal as buffalo have a cultural and a spiritual connection to indigenous communities. The Conservancy and the Tanka Fund support an effort to enrich Native lives with the re-establishment of a sustainable buffalo economy. [19]

Government

The revised Constitution and By-Laws of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe were approved by the Secretary of Interior on March 3, 1964. The governing body of the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is the Reservation Business Committee, which is composed of a Chairman, Secretary-Treasurer, and three Representatives: one from District I (Cloquet), one from District II (Sawyer) and one from District III (Brookston). All are elected to four-year terms on a staggered basis, with the Chairman and Secretary-Treasurer also serving as members of the Executive Committee of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

The current members of the Reservation Business Committee are:

Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is one of six members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT), from which it receives certain administrative services and support. The tribal government issues its own license plates. In the 2020 United States Census, the reservation recorded a population of 4,184 people [20] and in July, 2007, MCT reported 4,044 people enrolled through Fond du Lac. [1]

Notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

<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 northwestern Minnesota, United States.

Several places and things have this name including:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa</span> Ojibwa Native American tribe

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">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">Fond du Lac Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation in northern Minnesota

The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota near Cloquet in Carlton and Saint Louis counties. Off-reservation holdings are located across the state in Douglas County, in the northwest corner of Wisconsin. The total land area of these tribal lands is 154.49 square miles (400.1 km2). It is the land-base for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Before the establishment of this reservation, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa were located at the head of Lake Superior, closer to the mouth of the Saint Louis River, where Duluth has developed.

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

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 an 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 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.

The Mille Lacs Indians, also known as the Mille Lacs and Snake River Band of Chippewa, are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa (Ojibwe) with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota). Today, their successor apparent Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe consider themselves as being Ojibwe, but many on their main reservation have the ma'iingan (wolf) as their chief doodem (clan), which is an indicator of Dakota origins.

Mississippi River Band of Chippewa Indians or simply the Mississippi Chippewa, are a historical Ojibwa Band inhabiting the headwaters of the Mississippi River and its tributaries in present-day Minnesota.

Pillager Band of Chippewa Indians are a historical band of Chippewa (Ojibwe) who settled at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in present-day Minnesota. Their name "Pillagers" is a translation of Makandwewininiwag, which literally means "Pillaging Men". The French called them Pilleurs, also a translation of their name. The French and Americans adopted their autonym for their military activities as the advance guard of the Ojibwe in the invasion of the Dakota country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kechewaishke</span> Ojibwe leader

Chief Buffalo was a major Ojibwa leader, born at La Pointe in Lake Superior's Apostle Islands, in what is now northern Wisconsin, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Lake Tragedy</span> 1850 tragedy in Minnesota that led to the creation of Ojibwe reservations

The Sandy Lake Tragedy was the culmination in 1850 of a series of events centered in Big Sandy Lake, Minnesota that resulted in the deaths of several hundred Lake Superior Chippewa. Officials of the Zachary Taylor Administration and Minnesota Territory sought to relocate several bands of the tribe to areas west of the Mississippi River. By changing the location for fall annuity payments, the officials intended the Chippewa to stay at the new site for the winter, hoping to lower their resistance to relocation. Due to delayed and inadequate payments of annuities and lack of promised supplies, about 400 Ojibwe, mostly men and 12% of the tribe, died of disease, starvation and cold. The outrage increased Ojibwe resistance to removal. The bands effectively gained widespread public support to achieve permanent reservations in their traditional territories.

The Lake Superior Chippewa are a large number of Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) bands living around Lake Superior; this territory is considered part of northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in the United States. They migrated into the area by the seventeenth century, encroaching on the Eastern Dakota people who had historically occupied the area. The Ojibwe defeated the Eastern Dakota, who migrated west into the Great Plains after the final battle in 1745. While they share a common culture including the Anishinaabe language, this highly decentralized group of Ojibwe includes at least twelve independent bands in the region.

Sandy Lake is an unincorporated community Native American village located in Turner Township, Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. Its name in the Ojibwe language is Gaa-mitaawangaagamaag, meaning "Place of the Sandy-shored Lake". The village is administrative center for the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa, though the administration of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation, District II, is located in the nearby East Lake.

An act for the relief and civilization of the Chippewa Indians in the State of Minnesota, commonly known as the Nelson Act of 1889, was a United States federal law intended to relocate all the Anishinaabe people in Minnesota to the White Earth Indian Reservation in the western part of the state, and expropriate the vacated reservations for sale to European settlers.

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) is a public tribal land-grant community college in Cloquet, Minnesota. FDLTCC is located within the Twin Ports area of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin in northeastern Minnesota. The college is a member of Minnesota State, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium. FDLTCC was Minnesota's first tribal college. FDLTCC is the only college in the nation both established as a tribal college under federal law and operating as part of a state-funded higher education system.

Fond du Lac Ojibwe School is a K–12 tribal school in Cloquet, Minnesota. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa operates the school and owns the facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aamoons</span> Ojibwe leader (1790s–1866)

Aamoons, or Little Bee, also rendered Ah-moose, Ah-mous, Aw-Mouse, Aw-monse, Bradford Ah-Moose, Ahmoons, or Wasp, was a 19th century leader of the Ojibwe people of North America. He was the head chief of the Lac du Flambeau band (Waaswaaganiwininiwag) "whose hunting grounds are on the Wisconsin River." Aamoons traveled to the national capital of Washington, D.C. at least three times in the 1860s for meetings with the federal government about the status and treaty rights of the Ojibwe, who were at that time called the Chippewa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fast Facts". The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. 2007. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008.
  2. Armstrong and a delegation of Chippewa chiefs meet with Lincoln, Chief Buffalo & Benjamin Armstrong, Travis Armstrong, (Leech Lake (Pillager) Chippewa)
  3. Wisconsin Chippewas Wish to Fight the Sioux: Letter from Two Chiefs to Gov. Ramsey, Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub and Chief Shin-Gwack, Chicago Times Volume VIII, No. 28, 16 September 1862.
  4. 1 2 Wisconsin Chippewas Wish to Fight the Sioux: Letter from Two Chiefs to Gov. Ramsey, Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub and Chief Shin-Gwack, Chicago Times Volume VIII, No. 28, 16 September 1862.
  5. The Weekly Pioneer and Democrat Sept 19, 1862 in St Paul , p. 3
  6. Indian Outrages in Minnesota, Vol. XX No.2983, The Evening Star, Washington D.C., p.1, Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers,
  7. Fond du lac letter The Chicago Tribune. 17 September 1862
  8. Fond Du Lac letter The Portland Daily Press, 15 September, 1862, p.3
  9. Fond du lac letter, Daily Intelligencer, 15 Sept p. 3 Wheeling, West Virginia
  10. Fond Du Lac letter The Cleveland Morning 20 September 1862
  11. Fond du lac letter The Vermont Chronicle, 23 Sept, 1862
  12. Fond du lac letter The Weekly North Iowa Times 17 Sept
  13. Lake Superior Chippeways, Mankato Semi-weekly Record Vol 4 - No. 22, p.2
  14. Fond du lac letter, Burlington Hawkeye, Sept 20, 1862
  15. Chippewa Indian Who Was Famous Fifty Years Ago Dying Near Fond du Lac, Minn, New York Times 27 June 1897: 3, ProQuest, 2023
  16. Roberts, Kathaleen. "Birch Bark Biting, One of the Rarest of Native American Art Forms, Will Be Featured at Showcase." Albuquerque Journal. 19 Nov 2007. Retrieved 22 Dec 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 Hughlett, Mike (August 31, 2018). "Fond du Lac agrees to let Enbridge's new pipeline cross its reservation". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  18. Lavine, Malinda (November 10, 2022). "Minnesota farm welcomes buffalo's return to tribal land". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  19. Ullman, Sabrina (November 12, 2022). "Native-owned business welcomes buffalo back to tribal lands". WDIO. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  20. "2020 Decennial Census: Fond du Lac Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, MN--WI". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 16, 2022.