Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

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Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Fond-du-Lac Chief Naw-gaw-nab of the Foremost sitter.jpg
Fond-du-Lac Chief Naw-gaw-nab or the Foremost sitter taken at Whitney's gallery, St. Paul, Minn. in 1863
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
1862 Lincoln Peace Medal, in bronze. A few months before the Mdewakanton Uprising. Lincoln gave 9 Lake Superior Chippewa Chiefs, the large 3 inch silver version of this medal. The Chiefs included: Ah-moose, or "Little Bee", Lac-Flambeau band; Kish-ke-taw-ug, or "Cut Ear", Bad-River band; Ba-quas, or "He Sews", Lac-Court-O'Rielles band ; Ah-do-ga-zik, or "Last Day", Bad-River band; O-be-qnot, or "Firm", Fond-du-Lac band; Shing-quak-onse, or "Little Pine", La-Pointe band; Ja-ge-gwa-yo, or "Can't Tell", La-Pointe band; Na-gon-an(Naw-Gaw-Nub), or "He Sits Ahead", Fond-du-Lac band; and O-ma-shin-a-way, or "Messenger", Bad-River band. President Lincoln's Inauguration Medal MET AW 07 251 102-001.jpg
1862 Lincoln Peace Medal, in bronze. A few months before the Mdewakanton Uprising. Lincoln gave 9 Lake Superior Chippewa Chiefs, the large 3 inch silver version of this medal. The Chiefs included: Ah-moose, or "Little Bee", Lac-Flambeau band; Kish-ke-taw-ug, or "Cut Ear", Bad-River band; Ba-quas, or "He Sews", Lac-Court-O'Rielles band ; Ah-do-ga-zik, or "Last Day", Bad-River band; O-be-qnot, or "Firm", Fond-du-Lac band; Shing-quak-onse, or "Little Pine", La-Pointe band; Ja-ge-gwa-yo, or "Can't Tell", La-Pointe band; Na-gon-an(Naw-Gaw-Nub), or "He Sits Ahead", Fond-du-Lac band; and O-ma-shin-a-way, or "Messenger", Bad-River band.
1862 Chippewa Delegation wearing the medals President Lincoln had just given them. Chief Na-gon-an(Naw-Gaw-Nub), or "He Sits Ahead", (FDL) seated center, sent a letter to Lincoln offering Chippewa assistance with the Sioux problem a couple of months later. His positioning in the photo indicates his status. Ojibwe Chippewa The Delegation Before President Lincoln 1862.jpg
1862 Chippewa Delegation wearing the medals President Lincoln had just given them. Chief Na-gon-an(Naw-Gaw-Nub), or "He Sits Ahead", (FDL) seated center, sent a letter to Lincoln offering Chippewa assistance with the Sioux problem a couple of months later. His positioning in the photo indicates his status.
The FDL letter instructs send reply to: Joseph Gurrol/Gurnoe (Shing-wak-onse) at Bayfield Wisconsin. He was the Red Cliff band translator who transcribed for the FDL Chiefs. Wisconsin Chippewas Wish to Fight the Sioux.png
The FDL letter instructs send reply to: Joseph Gurrol/Gurnoe (Shing-wāk-onse) at Bayfield Wisconsin. He was the Red Cliff band translator who transcribed for the FDL Chiefs.
Fond-du-Luth Casino, Duluth Fond-du-Luth Casino, Duluth (17403756462).jpg
Fond-du-Luth Casino, Duluth

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 1848 Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub made his first trip to Washington and addressed the U.S. Senate "with regard to what relations should be between the whites and the Indians". [6] 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. [7] 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. [8] 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". The letter made the newspapers in St Paul on September 13 and 19, 1862, [9] 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.

Newspapers that published the Fond-du-Lac Chief's letter to Lincoln(complete text) offering to fight the Sioux:

Newspapers that published the Fond-du-Lac Chief's Lincoln letter as stub articles:

In January 1863 the Chiefs made a return trip to Washington. On the way they spent a little time in Chicago. [6] During that time they were shown the Union prisoner of war [6] camp adjacent to the Illinois Central rail line Camp Douglas. During their tour Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub lectured the rebels: "you have been fighting to break up this govenment like the bloody Sioux." was one admonishment he laid on them. [13] [14] On their return they traveled via New York and had a meeting with a Mic-Mac Chief/medicine man to obtain medicine to bring home. [15] Word had spread that the Mic-Mac had a cure for smallpox. [16] [17] Joseph Gurrol/Gurnoe is again mentioned as being with FDL.

Chief Naganab's passing made the New York Times in 1897. [18]

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 within 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. [20] The agreement extended Enbridge's rights of way on the Reservation by 10 years, to 2039. [20] The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. [20]

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. [21] 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. [22]

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 [23] and in July, 2007, MCT reported 4,044 people enrolled through Fond du Lac. [1]

Notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

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

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<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.

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.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fast Facts". The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. 2007. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008.
  2. Early life among the Indians reminiscences from the life of Benj. G. Armstrong, Benj. G. Armstrong, 1892,
  3. Armstrong and a delegation of Chippewa chiefs meet with Lincoln, Chiefbuffalo.com, 2024,[]
  4. Joseph D. Gurnoe/Chequamegon history, Amorin Mello, 2024
  5. An Indian PowWow, The Weekly Pioneer and Democrat, Mar 27, 1863, p.1, Library of Congress, 2024
  6. 1 2 3 A delegation of Chippeway Chiefs Enroute for Washington, Cleveland Morning Leader, Feb. 03, 1863, p.1, Library of Congress, 2025
  7. Armstrong and a delegation of Chippewa chiefs meet with Lincoln, Chief Buffalo & Benjamin Armstrong, Travis Armstrong, (Leech Lake (Pillager) Chippewa)
  8. Wisconsin Chippewas Wish to Fight the Sioux: Letter from Two Chiefs to Gov. Ramsey, Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub and Chief Shin-Gwack, Chicago daily tribune. [volume], September 15, 1862, p.1. Library of Congress 2024
  9. The Weekly Pioneer and Democrat Sept 19, 1862 in St Paul , p. 1, Library of Congress, 2024
  10. An Offer of Aid from the Chippewas., New York Times, Sept. 14, 1862, p.9, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, 2023
  11. 2 Wisconsin Chippewa Chiefs, The New York Herald, Sept 14, 1862, p.5, Library of Congress, 2023
  12. Lake Superior Chippeways, Mankato Semi-weekly Record, Sept. 13, 1862, p.2, Minnesota Digital Newspapers hub, 2023, MNHS 345 Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul MN,
  13. Affairs at Camp Douglas, The Chippewa Chiefs have a Talk With the Rebels, Chicago Daily Tribune, Jan. 29, 1863, p.4, Library of Congress, 2025
  14. A Talk to the Rebels, Washington Standard, Mar. 28, 1863, p.1 Library of Congress, 2025
  15. Indian Pow Wow, The Weekly Pioneer and Democrat, Mar. 27, 1863, p.1, Library of Congress, 2025
  16. Rediscovered Native American remedy kills poxvirus, James Urquhart, Chemistry World, 21 March 2012, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025
  17. Medical Appropriation in the ‘Red’ Atlantic: Translating a Mi’kmaq smallpox cure in the mid-nineteenth century, Farrah Lawrence-Mackey, University College London, 2025 ]
  18. Chippewa Indian Who Was Famous Fifty Years Ago Dying Near Fond du Lac, Minn, New York Times 27 June 1897: 3, ProQuest, 2023
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. Lavine, Malinda (November 10, 2022). "Minnesota farm welcomes buffalo's return to tribal land". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  22. Ullman, Sabrina (November 12, 2022). "Native-owned business welcomes buffalo back to tribal lands". WDIO. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  23. "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.