Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Encyclopedia
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is a federally recognized Native American
tribe in Michigan
. Derek Bailey
is the current chairman of the Tribal Council, whose offices are in Peshawbestown, Michigan
. The tribe owns and operates the Leelanau Sands Casino, the Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel, and the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians includes members of the Odaawaa/Odawa (Ottawa
), the Ojibwe (Ojibwa
/Chippewa) and Boodewaadami/Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi
) peoples.
, they applied for federal recognition in 1934 and 1943 and were denied. However, in 1978 Dodie Harris Chambers led an effort for recognition and on May 27, 1980, the tribe was formally recognized. The Grand Traverse Band is the first federally recognized tribe in Michigan and one of the first tribes to own a casino in the United States.
The tribe's government includes a governing body consisting of a tribal chair and six other tribal council members, elected by the Grand Traverse Band membership. The band has programming, fiscal and administrative authority. The council also appoints judicial officers that decide criminal, family and civil matters in conjunction with the state court.
The water resources within the 1855 reservation area include Grand Traverse Bay
, the eastern shore of Michigan, Lake Leelanau
, Elk Lake
, and their watersheds. Other natural resources of importance include undeveloped forested parcels and areas of traditional and cultural hunting
, fishing
and plant gathering.
The Grand Traverse Band's Natural Resources Department is made up of a department manager, game wardens, Great Lakes fishery biologists and technician, fish and wildlife biologists and technician, environmental and water quality staff, and an office manager.
south to Grand River
near or on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan
were relocated to reservation lands in Mason
and Ocaena
Counties. The permanent village
s of the Grand River Bands Ottawa including those nine Bands now considered as Little River members, were located on the Thornapple, Grand, White, Pere Marquette and Big and Little Manistee Rivers in Michigan’s western Lower Peninsula.
The Ottawa and Chippewa Treaty of Detroit was signed in 1855 and created an Ottawa/Chippewa nation.
is located at the land base of the Sault Ste. Marie band of Chippewa
s. With the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934, the Bay Mills Indian Community was created.
on 27 May 1980 and includes lands acquired by the Band. The Grand Traverse Band's Treaty Ceded Territories from the 1836 Treaty covers an area in a line from the Grand River to the Alpena area north and the eastern portion of the upper peninsula from the Chocolay River east. The majority (almost 55 percent) of the reservation's territory lies within several non-contiguous sections of land in eastern Suttons Bay Township
in Leelanau County, Michigan
. However, there are five other smaller parcels of land in four other counties: one plot in southern Benzonia Township
, Benzie County
; two plots in southern Helena Township
, Antrim County
; one plot in eastern Acme Township
, Grand Traverse County
; and one plot in southwestern Eveline Township
, Charlevoix County
. The total land area of the reservation and off-reservation trust land is 2.539 km² (0.9804 sq mi, or 627.46 acres (2.5 km²). Its total 2000 census
resident population was 545 persons, 80 percent of whom were of only Native American
heritage. The present day, main Reservation and six-county service area consists of Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Manistee
counties. The Band's federal land base is approximately 1100 acres (4.5 km²) dispersed throughout the service area with 3,985 members and 1,610 residing in the area.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Derek Bailey
Derek Bailey (tribal chairman)
Derek J. Bailey is Chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.-Early years:Bailey is a native of Traverse City, Michigan, and grew up there and in neighboring Leelanau County....
is the current chairman of the Tribal Council, whose offices are in Peshawbestown, Michigan
Peshawbestown, Michigan
Peshawbestown is an unincorporated community in Suttons Bay Township of Leelanau in the U.S. state of Michigan. In historical documents, the name is spelled variously as Peshabetown, Peshabatown, Pshawbatown, Preshabestown....
. The tribe owns and operates the Leelanau Sands Casino, the Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel, and the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
Names
Referring to themselves as Anishinaabeg or Three Fires ConfederacyCouncil of Three Fires
The Council of Three Fires, also known as the People of the Three Fires, the Three Fires Confederacy, the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Indians, or Niswi-mishkodewin in the Anishinaabe language, is a long-standing Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe , Ottawa , and Potawatomi...
, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians includes members of the Odaawaa/Odawa (Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
), the Ojibwe (Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
/Chippewa) and Boodewaadami/Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
) peoples.
Recognition
Under the Indian Reorganization ActIndian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
, they applied for federal recognition in 1934 and 1943 and were denied. However, in 1978 Dodie Harris Chambers led an effort for recognition and on May 27, 1980, the tribe was formally recognized. The Grand Traverse Band is the first federally recognized tribe in Michigan and one of the first tribes to own a casino in the United States.
Today
Members are descended from the various Ottawa (Odawa) and Chippewa (Ojibwe) peoples from northern Michigan.The tribe's government includes a governing body consisting of a tribal chair and six other tribal council members, elected by the Grand Traverse Band membership. The band has programming, fiscal and administrative authority. The council also appoints judicial officers that decide criminal, family and civil matters in conjunction with the state court.
The water resources within the 1855 reservation area include Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
, the eastern shore of Michigan, Lake Leelanau
Lake Leelanau
Lake Leelanau lies in the Leelanau Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The entire lake -- which includes two bodies of water, usually referred to as North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau -- covers about and lies within Leelanau County...
, Elk Lake
Elk Lake (Michigan)
Elk Lake is located in Antrim and Grand Traverse counties in Northern Michigan. The lake is about a mile and a half wide and nine miles long, and is centered at near the town of Elk Rapids. It has maximum depth of , making it Michigan's second deepest after Torch Lake...
, and their watersheds. Other natural resources of importance include undeveloped forested parcels and areas of traditional and cultural hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and plant gathering.
The Grand Traverse Band's Natural Resources Department is made up of a department manager, game wardens, Great Lakes fishery biologists and technician, fish and wildlife biologists and technician, environmental and water quality staff, and an office manager.
History
Ottawa, Chippewa and Potawatomi Indians all migrated from the east coast settling throughout Canada, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota – all having established reservations today in only Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.The Ottawa Tribe
Ottawa, or alternatively "Odawa" or "Odawu" derives either from the term "trader" or a truncated version of an Ottawa phrase meaning people of the bulrush. Historically, the members of the tribe are descendants of and politically successors to nine Ottawa Bands who were party to the Treaties of 1836 and 1855 of a total of nineteen bands listed as Grand River Band Ottawa. After the 1855 Treaty, all of the Ottawa Bands located from the Manistee RiverManistee River
The Manistee River in the U.S. state of Michigan, runs approximately 232 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the villages of Sharon, Smithville, Mesick, and enters Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east...
south to Grand River
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...
near or on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
were relocated to reservation lands in Mason
Mason County, Michigan
Mason County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,705. The county seat is Ludington.-History:...
and Ocaena
Oceana County, Michigan
-US highways:* US-31* US 31 Business Route is a spur serving downtown Hart.* US 31 Business Route loops through downtown Pentwater, returning to mainline US-31 at both ends.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-20* M-120-Intercounty Highways:*B-15...
Counties. The permanent village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s of the Grand River Bands Ottawa including those nine Bands now considered as Little River members, were located on the Thornapple, Grand, White, Pere Marquette and Big and Little Manistee Rivers in Michigan’s western Lower Peninsula.
The Ottawa and Chippewa Treaty of Detroit was signed in 1855 and created an Ottawa/Chippewa nation.
The Chippewa Tribe
The Chippewa (also "Ojibwe", "Ojibway", "Chippeway", "Anishinaabe") are the largest Native American group north of the Rio Grande River. Their population is split between Canada and the United States. The Bay Mills Indian CommunityBay Mills Indian Community
The Bay Mills Indian Community , known in Ojibwe as Gnoozhekaaning or Place of the Pike, is an Indian reservation forming the land base of one of the many Sault Ste. Marie bands of Chippewa Indians....
is located at the land base of the Sault Ste. Marie band of Chippewa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
s. With the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934, the Bay Mills Indian Community was created.
Reservation
The territory of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is the Grand Traverse Indian Reservation, as established by United States Secretary of the InteriorUnited States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
on 27 May 1980 and includes lands acquired by the Band. The Grand Traverse Band's Treaty Ceded Territories from the 1836 Treaty covers an area in a line from the Grand River to the Alpena area north and the eastern portion of the upper peninsula from the Chocolay River east. The majority (almost 55 percent) of the reservation's territory lies within several non-contiguous sections of land in eastern Suttons Bay Township
Suttons Bay Township, Michigan
Suttons Bay Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,982 at the 2000 census. The village of Suttons Bay is located within the township...
in Leelanau County, Michigan
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
. However, there are five other smaller parcels of land in four other counties: one plot in southern Benzonia Township
Benzonia Township, Michigan
Benzonia Township is a civil township of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,839...
, Benzie County
Benzie County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 15,998 people, 6,500 households, and 4,595 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 10,312 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
; two plots in southern Helena Township
Helena Township, Michigan
Helena Township is a civil township of Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 878 at the 2000 census.- Communities :* Alden is an unincorporated community in the township on the southeast end of Torch Lake...
, Antrim County
Antrim County, Michigan
-History:Antrim County was formed in 1863. In 1950 its population was 10,721. The county seat was originally located in Elk Rapids, but was moved to Bellaire in 1904 after 25 years of litigation.-Demographics:...
; one plot in eastern Acme Township
Acme Township, Michigan
Acme Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 4,332.It takes its name from the Greek word acme meaning summit.- Communities :...
, Grand Traverse County
Grand Traverse County, Michigan
-Air service:*Grand Traverse County is served by Cherry Capital Airport, which is located near Traverse City.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 77,654 people, 30,396 households, and 20,730 families residing in the county. The population density was 167 people per square mile . ...
; and one plot in southwestern Eveline Township
Eveline Township, Michigan
Eveline Township is a civil township of Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,560.-Communities:...
, Charlevoix County
Charlevoix County, Michigan
-Airports:*Beaver Island is served by two airlines:**Welke Airport**Beaver Island Airport-Ferry service:*Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from Charlevoix:*The Ironton Ferry at Ironton, Michigan crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix...
. The total land area of the reservation and off-reservation trust land is 2.539 km² (0.9804 sq mi, or 627.46 acres (2.5 km²). Its total 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
resident population was 545 persons, 80 percent of whom were of only Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
heritage. The present day, main Reservation and six-county service area consists of Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Manistee
Manistee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 24,527 people, 9,860 households, and 6,714 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 14,272 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
counties. The Band's federal land base is approximately 1100 acres (4.5 km²) dispersed throughout the service area with 3,985 members and 1,610 residing in the area.