The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe

A Brief History

The Chippewa (Ojibwe/Anishinabe) are one of the largest tribes in the United States. The Chippewa are also one of the largest Indian tribes in North America, at one time occupying a territory that extended from east of Lake Huron, north into Canada, and as far west as the mountains of Montana. Chippewa Bands first settled in Minnesota during the mid-seventeenth century after migrating from the southern shores of Lake Superior. Chippewa Bands in Minnesota battled Dakota groups for occupancy of the naturally abundant northern areas of the state. The Dakota were eventually pushed south and west and the Chippewa settled permanently along the regions numerous waterways.

The United States made 44 separate treaties with the Chippewa, the first in 1785 and the last in 1867. Most of the treaties concerned land cessions to the United States in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The US Government originally made the mistake of assuming that all Chippewa were members of one single large tribe, and early treaties reflect this misunderstanding. The Government soon realized that each Chippewa Band had a distinct identity and government, and eventually dealt separately with Bands on an individual basis. Chippewa Bands in Minnesota were party to 12 of the 44 Chippewa Treaties. Minnesota Treaties generally set aside tracts of land for the Chippewa in exchange for the relinquishment of title to the United States for the remainder of Chippewa territory. Treaties and land cessions, along with a few Executive Orders, formed the basis of the establishment of the reservation system for Chippewa in Minnesota.

In response to the desire for a central Tribal government, the various Bands of Chippewa Indians residing within the Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Bois Forte, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and White Earth Reservations united to form the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe was established on June 18, 1934. The structure and Constitution adopted for the governance of the Tribe was recognized by the Secretary of the Interior on July 24, 1936, pursuant to the authority granted by the Indian Reorganization Act, 48 Stat. 984. Status as a Tribal Government provides the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe with broad powers, ensuring various immunities for the Tribe and its individual members. Powers include those of self-governance granted by the Indian Reorganization Act. Immunities include the right to be free from State interference within the six member reservations as well as other immunities afforded any other federal entity. All governmental powers of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe are delegated by The Constitution to the Tribal Executive Committee and the respective Reservation Tribal Councils. While the Constitution of the Tribe recognizes the autonomy of the individual reservations over property and other matters solely affecting a single reservation, the Constitution also grants the Tribal Executive Committee broad powers over certain affairs, such as elections and enrollment. In essence, each member of the Tribe has dual membership: tribal and reservation. The constitutional distribution of powers reflects this fact.

Members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe retain membership in one of the various Bands for which the six member reservations were established. Additionally, members have rights of State and National citizenship identical to those of all other citizens. The Tribe and tribal membership reflect the historical sovereign status of Indian Tribes in the United States. This unique status is identified in the United States Constitution, treaties entered into by the various Bands of Chippewa Indians and the United States, and immutable federal status recognizing the historical antecedents of contemporary Tribal Government.

Send mail to dchase@mnchippewatribe.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2000 The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Last modified: March 12, 2004