Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Timeline

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Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Timeline

The story of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is a tapestry woven with threads of migration, adaptation, resilience, and self-determination. Oral traditions recount a journey beginning on the Atlantic coast of North America. Around 500 years ago, the ancestors of the present-day Mille Lacs Band embarked on a westward movement, eventually establishing themselves in the verdant region surrounding Mille Lacs Lake in east-central Minnesota by the mid-1700s. This timeline chronicles pivotal moments in the history of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, showcasing their enduring spirit and commitment to preserving their heritage.

1640: Encounters Begin

The year 1640 marks the first recorded instance of contact between the Ojibwe people and Europeans. This encounter occurred at Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, a strategic location where French fur traders ventured into the Great Lakes region. These early interactions, driven by the burgeoning fur trade, would forever alter the course of Ojibwe history, introducing new goods, technologies, and challenges.

1659: A Pact of Peace

Daniel Duluth, a prominent figure in early exploration and trade, played a crucial role in mediating peace between the Ojibwe and the Dakota (Sioux) nations. Duluth negotiated an agreement that allowed both groups to share hunting territories in the area encompassing what is now western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, specifically near Mille Lacs Lake. This agreement, though perhaps fragile, fostered a period of relative stability and encouraged the Ojibwe to continue their westward expansion into new hunting grounds.

1727-1745: Conflict and Competition

The lure of trade with the French proved to be a double-edged sword. Competition for access to European goods and markets intensified tensions between the Ojibwe and the Dakota, leading to a series of conflicts and open warfare. This period of upheaval tested the resilience of both nations as they vied for dominance in the region.

1745-1750: Homeland Established

The middle of the 18th century witnessed a significant shift in the demographic landscape of the Mille Lacs region. The Ojibwe, having gradually migrated westward, arrived in the area around Mille Lacs Lake in substantial numbers. Through a combination of strategic alliances and military prowess, they displaced the remaining Dakota, who were already migrating west and south. The Ojibwe established their permanent homeland on and around the shores of Mille Lacs Lake, a place that would become central to their identity and culture. This period is crucial to understanding the history of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

1783: The Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the American Revolutionary War, had profound implications for the Mille Lacs Ojibwe. The treaty established the boundary between Canada and the newly formed United States, placing the traditional homeland of the Mille Lacs Ojibwe within American territory. This geopolitical shift would bring the Band into direct contact with the expanding United States government and its policies towards Native American tribes.

1825: Defining Boundaries at Prairie du Chien

A significant treaty council convened at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in 1825. More than 1,000 leaders representing various tribes, including the Ojibwe, Dakota, Sauk, Fox, Menominee, Iowa, and Winnebago, gathered with U.S. Indian agents and commissioners. The primary objective was to resolve intertribal conflicts and establish clear boundaries between tribal territories. While boundaries were defined between the Dakota and Ojibwe, the treaty also included provisions that granted the U.S. government mineral exploration rights on certain Ojibwe lands, foreshadowing future resource exploitation and land disputes.

1837: Cession and Rights Protected

The year 1837 marked a turning point in the history of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The Band signed a treaty ceding a vast portion of their homeland to the U.S. government. This treaty, negotiated with what would later be recognized as faulty maps and a general misunderstanding of the geography involved, transferred ownership of significant lands. However, the Treaty of 1837 also included provisions protecting the rights of the Mille Lacs Ojibwe to hunt, fish, and gather on the ceded lands, a right that would become the subject of intense legal battles in the centuries to come. The treaty also opened the door for non-Indian settlement in the ceded territory.

1855: Reservation Established

Another significant treaty was signed in 1855, which set aside approximately 61,000 acres as the Mille Lacs Reservation. This reservation encompassed the southern end of Mille Lacs Lake, including the southern portion of the lake itself and its islands. While providing a designated territory for the Band, the Treaty of 1855 also opened up lands just north of the new reservation to logging operations, further impacting the Band’s traditional way of life and the natural environment.

1858: Minnesota Enters the Union

Minnesota’s admission to the United States as a state in 1858 further solidified the legal and political context within which the Mille Lacs Band operated. State laws and policies would increasingly interact with federal Indian policy, creating a complex web of jurisdictional issues.

1862: Loyalty During Conflict

During the tumultuous Dakota War of 1862, warriors from the Mille Lacs Band distinguished themselves by protecting non-Indian settlers from aggression by neighboring Ojibwe bands. This act of loyalty and compassion would later be recognized by the U.S. government.

1864: Guarantee of Protection

In recognition of their conduct during the Dakota War, the Mille Lacs Band received a guarantee in a treaty with the U.S. government that Band members would not be forced to leave the Mille Lacs Reservation. This promise, intended to secure the Band’s future on their ancestral lands, would unfortunately be broken in the years that followed.

1879: Broken Promises

Despite the Treaty of 1864, the U.S. Interior Department made the shocking proclamation that the Mille Lacs Reservation was available for purchase by timber companies and other private interests. This decision, a blatant violation of treaty obligations, was later reversed by Congress, but not before non-Indians had already encroached upon the reservation, illegally squatting on the land and stripping large areas of valuable pine trees.

1880s: Assimilation Policies

The 1880s witnessed the rise of assimilation policies within the U.S. government’s approach to Native Americans. These policies aimed to force Native Americans to abandon their traditional cultures, languages, and ways of life and to conform to the lifestyles of non-Indians. This era marked a period of intense cultural pressure and attempts to dismantle tribal structures.

1884: Unfulfilled Assurances

Band leaders received assurances that the presence of non-Indians on Mille Lacs Band land would be investigated and resolved. These assurances, however, proved to be largely empty promises, as the encroachment and exploitation continued unabated.

1889: The Nelson Act

Congress passed the Nelson Act, a piece of legislation designed to relocate Ojibwe populations to allotments of land on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. While the Act allowed for allotments on the White Earth Reservation, it also permitted individuals to take allotments on their own reservations. This Act was a further attempt to break up tribal landholdings and promote individual land ownership.

1902: Loss of Hope

Government representatives visited Mille Lacs to negotiate an agreement for damages caused by settlers. During these negotiations, Band members discovered that the promises made in 1889 had been broken. Many Band members lost faith in the fairness of the U.S. government and migrated to White Earth. Others were harassed into leaving as their property was sold out from under them. However, a small group, led by Chief Migizi and Chief Wadena, refused to abandon their land. The story of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is a story of persistence.

1911: Forced Removal

The Mille Lacs Lake village of Chief Wadena was tragically burned by a sheriff’s posse, and its residents were forcibly removed so that the land could be claimed by a developer. This event represents a particularly egregious example of the injustices faced by the Mille Lacs Band during this period.

1914: A Promise of Land

Chief Migizi secured a promise from Congress to purchase 40-acre home sites for the landless Band members. However, by the time the sites were distributed 12 years later, they had been drastically reduced to just five acres, a further example of the government’s failure to uphold its commitments.

1917-1918: Service in World War I

Many Mille Lacs Band members answered the call to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I, demonstrating their patriotism and willingness to defend the nation.

1924: Citizenship Granted

The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 formally recognized American Indians as U.S. citizens, granting them the right to vote and other privileges of citizenship.

1930s: Cultural Suppression

During the 1930s, many Mille Lacs Band children were forcibly sent to government boarding schools where they were forbidden from speaking the Ojibwe language. These schools were part of a broader effort to assimilate Native American children into mainstream society, often at the expense of their cultural identity.

1934: Reorganization and Self-Governance

The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934 marked a significant shift in federal Indian policy. The IRA formally recognized Indian tribal self-governance and aimed to restore Indian self-determination and tribal cultures. As part of this initiative, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe was formed as a political union of six Ojibwe bands, including the Mille Lacs Band.

1941-1945: World War II Service

More than 25 Mille Lacs Band members served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Many Mille Lacs Band families migrated to large cities to work in war-related industries, contributing to the war effort while also experiencing new opportunities and challenges.

1946: Land Claims Commission

Congress established the Indian Claims Commission Act to resolve land claims between Indian tribes and the U.S. government. This commission provided a forum for tribes to seek compensation for lands that had been taken from them through treaties or other means.

1952: Termination and Relocation

The U.S. government adopted the Indian Termination and Indian Relocation policies, which sought to dismantle tribal governments and encourage Native Americans to relocate to urban areas for employment. These policies represented a renewed push for assimilation and a significant setback for tribal self-determination.

1960: A New Era of Progress

Sam Yankee was elected Chairman of the Mille Lacs Band’s tribal government. Under his leadership, modern homes, public buildings, health services, educational opportunities, and social programs began to appear on the reservation, marking a period of significant progress and development.

1972: Self-Determination Under Gahbow

Arthur Gahbow was elected Chairman of the Mille Lacs Band’s tribal government. Gahbow led the Band toward self-determination by advancing economic development on the reservation, pursuing land claims to expand the reservation’s land base, and overseeing a restructuring of the Band’s government to a separation-of-powers system. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe history continues to be written.

1975: Nay Ah Shing School Founded

Chairman Gahbow was instrumental in establishing the Mille Lacs Band’s Nay Ah Shing School following a walkout by reservation youth from a public school in nearby Onamia. The school became a vital institution for preserving Ojibwe culture and language.

1981: Separation of Powers

The Mille Lacs Band further strengthened its self-governance by adopting a separation-of-powers form of government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. This move enhanced the Band’s ability to interact with the federal government on a government-to-government basis.

1988: Indian Gaming Regulatory Act

Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which recognized the right of Indian tribes to own and operate casino gaming businesses on reservation lands. This landmark legislation would have a transformative impact on tribal economies across the country, including the Mille Lacs Band.

1988: Self-Governance Demonstration Project

The Band was one of the original 10 tribes to participate in the first Tribal Self-Governance Demonstration Project, paving the way for greater tribal control over federal programs and funding.

1989: Gaming Compacts Signed

Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich signed gaming compacts with the Mille Lacs Band, paving the way for the development of casino gaming on the reservation. The State of Minnesota approved Indian gaming in order to create jobs and boost the economy in Greater Minnesota.

1990: Continued Leadership

Marvin Bruneau was elected District II Representative, a position he continues to hold, demonstrating his long-standing commitment to serving the Mille Lacs Band community.

1991: Grand Casino Opens

The Mille Lacs Band opened Grand Casino Mille Lacs, fulfilling a dream of Chairman Gahbow, who was instrumental in its creation. The casino’s opening ushered in a new era of prosperity on the reservation and in the surrounding region.

1991: Anderson Assumes Leadership

Marge Anderson was appointed to replace Chairman Gahbow, who died suddenly while in office. Under Anderson’s leadership, the Band used casino revenues to strengthen its culture and benefit the region.

1991: Community Improvement Bonds

The Band became the first tribe in the United States to issue community improvement bonds backed by casino revenues, providing $20 million to fund reservation construction projects.

1991: Professional Law Enforcement

The Mille Lacs Band Police Department became a professional law enforcement agency with officers who are licensed by the state of Minnesota.

1992: Grand Casino Hinckley Opens

The Mille Lacs Band opened Grand Casino Hinckley, further expanding its gaming operations and economic impact.

1993: Ne-Ia-Shing Clinic Opens

The Band opened the new Ne-Ia-Shing Clinic, the first tribal health facility in the nation built with casino revenues.

1994: Self-Governance Made Permanent

Based on the success of the Mille Lacs Band and other tribes in their self-governance efforts, President Bill Clinton signed legislation turning the Self-Governance Demonstration Project into a permanent project.

1995: Ojibwe Language Program

The Ojibwe Language Program became a core element of the pre-K and K-12 curricula at the Band’s Nay Ah Shing Schools.

1996: Woodlands National Bank

The Band secured federal regulatory approval to acquire First State Bank of Onamia through the formation of the nation’s first wholly Indian-owned holding company.

1999: Circle of Health

The Band introduced Circle of Health, a health insurance program focused on paying Band members’ co-pays and deductibles.

1999: Treaty Rights Affirmed

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Mille Lacs Band retains the right to hunt, fish, and gather on lands it ceded to the federal government through the Treaty of 1837 under tribal regulations. This landmark decision ended the Band’s nine-year legal battle to have its 1837 treaty rights recognized.

2001-2002: Assisted Living Units

The Band opened assisted living units in all three reservation districts.

2002: Resort Purchase

The Band purchased Eddy’s Lake Mille Lacs Resort, a popular resort dating back to 1960.

2004: Wastewater Treatment Facility

The Band opened a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility, partnering with the Garrison Kathio West Mille Lacs Lake Sanitary District.

March 2004: County Lawsuit Fails

The U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals found that Mille Lacs County’s lawsuit against the Mille Lacs Band failed to show that the Band’s reservation boundaries have harmed the county.

November 2004: Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Mille Lacs County’s lawsuit challenging the existence of the 61,000-acre Mille Lacs Reservation boundaries. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe continues to thrive today.