Nelson Act of 1889
Encyclopedia
The Nelson Act of 1889 was a United States federal law intended to relocate Anishinaabe
people in Minnesota
to the White Earth Indian Reservation
and expropriate their remaining lands.
Approved into law on January 14, 1889. The Nelson Act was Minnesota's response to the Dawes Act of 1887. The goal of the Nelson Act was to centralize Native Americans
s. This was a response to the current state of affairs in White-American Indian relations. Especially after the Dakota Conflict of 1862, Minnesota was eager to consolidate the reservations. Minnesota congressmen Knute Nelson
pushed for the allotment of Ojibway lands in Northern Minnesota. Meant to force the Ojibway to relinquish all their reservation lands with the exception of the White Earth band whose land would be allotted to members of the Ojibway people. These actions were illegal via the terms of former treaties, but were ignored. The Red Lake Band of the Ojibway
were able to bribe their way into keeping the southern portion of the Reservation.
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
people in 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...
to the White Earth Indian Reservation
White Earth Indian Reservation
The White Earth Indian Reservation is the home to the White Earth Nation, located in northwestern Minnesota. It is the largest Indian reservation in that state...
and expropriate their remaining lands.
Approved into law on January 14, 1889. The Nelson Act was Minnesota's response to the Dawes Act of 1887. The goal of the Nelson Act was to centralize Native Americans
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...
s. This was a response to the current state of affairs in White-American Indian relations. Especially after the Dakota Conflict of 1862, Minnesota was eager to consolidate the reservations. Minnesota congressmen Knute Nelson
Knute Nelson
Knute Nelson was an Norwegian American politician. A Republican, he served in the Wisconsin Legislature and Minnesota Legislature, in the U.S. House of Representatives, as the 12th Governor of Minnesota, and as a U.S...
pushed for the allotment of Ojibway lands in Northern Minnesota. Meant to force the Ojibway to relinquish all their reservation lands with the exception of the White Earth band whose land would be allotted to members of the Ojibway people. These actions were illegal via the terms of former treaties, but were ignored. The Red Lake Band of the Ojibway
Red Lake Indian Reservation
The Red Lake Indian Reservation covers 1,258.62 sq mi in parts of nine counties in northern Minnesota, United States. It is divided into many pieces, although the largest piece is centered about Red Lake, in north-central Minnesota, the largest lake entirely within that state. This section lies...
were able to bribe their way into keeping the southern portion of the Reservation.
Further reading
- William Watts Folwell, A History of Minnesota (Volume IV), Minnesota Historical Society Press, St Paul Minnesota, 1969, Pages 219-226
External links
- The Nelson Act: Promises made, promises broken by Don Wedll, The Mille Lacs Band of
- Treaties with Minnesota Indians