Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
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The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, 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 3,794 tribal members as of July, 2005. 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.
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[edit] Clans
There are eight major doodem types found among the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. They are Bizhiw (Lynx), Nooke (Bear), Waabizheshi (Marten) Wawaazisii (Bullhead), Ma'iingan (Wolf), Migizi (Bald Eagle), Name (Sturgeon) and Moozens (Little Moose). Due to the historical Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Dakota 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 Ma'iingan-doodem members.[1]
[edit] History
The historical tribes forming the contemporary Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe became part of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe 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.
[edit] Tribal government
The tribal government structure of the Mille Lacs Band is unique in that it is one of the few Native American governments with three branches of government, modeled after the government structure of the United States. Consequently, the tribe has two Chiefs and a Secretary Treasurer.
[edit] Executive branch
The current Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is Melanie Benjamin. The executive branch houses majority of the tribal government's departments, headed by commissioners appointed by the Chief Executive.
- Department of Public Safety, 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
- Administrative Department, headed by the Commissioner of Administration
- Department of Community Development, headed by the Commissioner of Community Development
- Housing Department
- Public Works Department
- Facilities Maintenance
- Project Management
- 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
- Office of the Environment
- Office of Culture
- Department of Education, headed by the Commissioner of Education
- Nay Ah Shing Schools
- 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
[edit] Legislative branch
The current Secretary Treasurer of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is Herb Weyaus. The Legislative Branch houses the tribes' Office of Budget and Management, headed by the Commissioner of Finance.
[edit] Judicial branch
The current Chief Justice of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is Alvina Aubele.
[edit] Contact information
| District I (main) office: 43408 Oodena Drive |
District II office: 36666 State Highway 65 Sub-district IIa office: |
District III office: 45749 Grace Lake Road Urban office: |
[edit] Famous people
[edit] See also
- Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
- Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
- Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.glifwc.org/pub/fall99/clansystem.htm - GLIFWC article on Clans and Mille Lacs Band Clans
- Buffalohead, Roger and Priscilla Buffalohead. Against the Tide of American History: The Story of Mille Lacs Anishinabe. Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (Cass Lake, MN: 1985).
- A Comprehensive Guide to The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Government. Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe General Assembly (Vineland, MN: 1996).
- Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
[edit] 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
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