Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
Encyclopedia
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa (Ojibwe language
: Zagaakwaandagowininiwag, "Men of the Thick Fir-woods"; commonly but erroneously shortened to Zagwaandagaawininiwag, "Men of the Thick Boughs") are an Ojibwe Band located in northern Minnesota
, along the border between the United States
and Canada
. Their landbase is the Bois Forte Indian Reservation
, of which the Nett Lake Indian Reservation holdings are the largest of their reservation holdings. The Bois Forte Band is one of six contituent members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
. In 2007, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe reported having 3,052 people enrolled through the Bois Forte (Nett Lake) Reservation as members of the Bois Forte Band.
and the southern half of the Little Forks Band of Rainy River Saulteaux
. Due to their very peaceful existence, Warren reports they were called the "Rabbit" (Ojibwe language: Waabooz). Under the Treaty of Paris (1783)
and the Webster-Ashburton Treaty
(1842), the Little Forks Band of Rainy River Saulteaux were divided in half, with the southern half living about the Little Fork River
being in the United States. The Lake Vermilion Band went into a treaty relationship with the United States in 1854. In 1866, the Bois Forte Band entered into a treaty with the United States, which also began the amalgamation process of these three historical bands into a single Band of today.
AM & FM in Ely, Minnesota
.
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
: Zagaakwaandagowininiwag, "Men of the Thick Fir-woods"; commonly but erroneously shortened to Zagwaandagaawininiwag, "Men of the Thick Boughs") are an Ojibwe Band located in northern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, along the border between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Their landbase is the Bois Forte Indian Reservation
Bois Forte Indian Reservation
Bois Forte Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation formed for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa...
, of which the Nett Lake Indian Reservation holdings are the largest of their reservation holdings. The Bois Forte Band is one of six contituent members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is a centralized government for six Chippewa bands in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on June 18, 1934, and the organization and its constitution were recognized by the Secretary of the Interior two years later on July 24, 1936...
. In 2007, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe reported having 3,052 people enrolled through the Bois Forte (Nett Lake) Reservation as members of the Bois Forte Band.
History
The Bois Forte Band is an amalgamation of three separate groups, of which the Zagwaandagaawininiwag was the largest component. Others now considered part of the Bois Forte Band includes the Lake Vermilion Band of Lake Superior ChippewaLake Superior Chippewa
The Lake Superior Chippewa were a historical band of Ojibwe Indians living around Lake Superior in what is now the northern parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.-Origins:...
and the southern half of the Little Forks Band of Rainy River Saulteaux
Rainy Lake and River Bands of Saulteaux
Rainy Lake and River Bands of Saulteaux were a historical Saulteaux group located in Northwestern Ontario and northern Minnesota, along and about the Rainy Lake and the Rainy River....
. Due to their very peaceful existence, Warren reports they were called the "Rabbit" (Ojibwe language: Waabooz). Under the Treaty of Paris (1783)
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
and the Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty resolving several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies...
(1842), the Little Forks Band of Rainy River Saulteaux were divided in half, with the southern half living about the Little Fork River
Little Fork River
The Little Fork River is a river of Minnesota. It flows into the Rainy River.-See also:*List of rivers of Minnesota-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Minnesota...
being in the United States. The Lake Vermilion Band went into a treaty relationship with the United States in 1854. In 1866, the Bois Forte Band entered into a treaty with the United States, which also began the amalgamation process of these three historical bands into a single Band of today.
Ethnonyms
The Bois Forte Band are named after their location of thick conifer forest of northern Minnesota. Handbook of North American Indians record other variations of their names.- Boise Forte — Indian Affairs Report, 332, 1873.
- Bois Forts — Warren (1852) in Minnesota Historical Society Collections, V, 85, 1885.
- Hardwoods — Warren (1852) in Minnesota Historical Society Collections, V, 85, 1885.
- Sagantwaga-wininiwak — Gatschet, Ojibwa Manuscript. BAE 1882
- Sagwandagawinini — Baraga, English-Otchipwe Dictionary, 109, 1879
- Sạgwāndạgāwininiwạg — William Jones, information, 1905.
- Sakâwiyiniw — Baraga, English-Otchipwe Dictionary, 109, 1879
- Sug-wau-dag-ah-win-in-e-wug — Warren (1852) in Minnesota Historical Society Collections, V, 85, 1885.
- Sug-waun-dug-ah-win-ine-wug — Warren in Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, II, 139, 1852
- Sug-wun-dug-ah-win-in-e-wug — Ramsey in Indian Affairs Report, 90, 1850.
- Thick Woodsmen — Warren in Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, II, 139, 1852
- Waub-ose — Warren (1852) in Minnesota Historical Society Collections, V, 86, 1885.
Band-owned businesses and enterprises
The band operates the Nett Lake Wild Rice cooperative, owns and operates the Powerain carwash products and WELYWELY
WELY are radio stations based in the small town of Ely, Minnesota. WELY serves the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of far northern Minnesota....
AM & FM in Ely, Minnesota
Ely, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,724 people, 1,912 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,369.5 people per square mile . There were 1,912 housing units at an average density of 703.2 per square mile...
.
Notable Bois Forte Citizens
- Joe Geshick — Artist
- Linda LeGarde Grover — University of Minnesota DuluthUniversity of Minnesota DuluthThe University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
American Indian Studies professor and Duluth Budgeteer columnist
Additional Readings
- Vollom, Judith L. and Thomas M. Vollom. Ojibwemowin: Series II. (Elk River, MN: Merlin J. Willams Sr. and Tom Vollom, 2002). — Language lessons of the Bois Forte dialect of the Ojibwe language, interspersed with cultural history of the Band.