Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
Encyclopedia
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...
: Mikinaakwajiw-ininiwag) is a 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...
tribe of 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...
and Métis peoples, based on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation
Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation
Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is an Indian Reservation located primarily in northern North Dakota. It is the land-base for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians ....
in Belcourt, North Dakota
Belcourt, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,440 people, 806 households, and 561 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 417.0 people per square mile . There were 856 housing units at an average density of 146.3/sq mi...
. The tribe has 30,000 enrolled members. A population of 5,815 reside on the main reservation and another 2,516 reside on off-reservation trust land (as of the 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...
).
History
Around the end of the eighteenth century, prior to the advent of white traders in the area, the formerly woodland oriented group of Chippewas moved out beyond the frontiers of the woodlands of Minnesota and Manitoba and out onto the plains in pursuit of the buffalo and new beaver resources to hunt and trade. They successfully reoriented their culture to life on the plains, developing the bison-hide tipi, the Red River cart, hard soled footwear, and new ceremonial procedures. Around 1800, these Indians were hunting in the Turtle Mountain area of North Dakota.The history of the Turtle Mountain Band as a contemporary band began on December 21, 1882 when Turtle Mountain Reservation was established under the Presidential Executive Order. Before this time, the Turtle Mountain Band was part of the Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians
Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians
Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians are a historical band of Chippewa , originally living along the Red River of the North and its tributaries....
and is considered as one of its political Successor Inherent.
There is some small controversy over whether the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians includes the Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians
Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians
The Little Shell Band of Chippewa Native Americans was an Anishinaabe tribe, The Little Shell Band did, in fact, once exist as a branch of the Chippewa on the northern Great Plains in the 19th century. Most were pushed westward out of Minnesota and North Dakota to Montana...
or not. Several court cases have decided that they are indeed separate tribes, and have in fact recognized at least 3 tribal units, and several unassociated members of that band. This case gives reference to Indian Claims Commission and United States Court of Claims cases that cannot be found online from their original sources, as the cases are old.
In the history of the tribe there have been several splits, the hereditary Chief of the Little Shell voluntarily ‘removed’ from the tribal rolls of the Turtle Mountain Band (and reservation) in the 1890s.
The Turtle Mountain Chippewa are often known by other names which can include some elements of the band and its people, among which are Bungi, Saulteaux, Pembina Band which includes both Red Bear Band and Little Shell Band, Bois Brule, Mitchif, Métis, and Chippewa-Cree to name a few.
Members of the Red Bear Band have established the Pembina Descendants Committee under the 1971 Act of Congress Bill H.R. 6072 Report No. 142-92, this committee includes the Signatory Heirs of Ogimaa Muskomukwa or Chief Red Bear, Pembina sub-chief Joseph Montreuil and Pembina warrior Joseph Gornon (Gourneau) all signers of the 1863 "Old Crossing" Treaty. The Hereditary Chiefs or Signatory Heirs of Chief Red Bear and Joseph Montreuil include Jesse Peltier, Donna M. Patenaude, Bradley J. Vervalen,Carey Decoteau-Peltier Jr., they hold seats on the established Pembina Descendants Committee. The Signatory Heirs of Chief Red Bear and Joseph Montreuil include Rose Bear, Montreuil, Caribeau, Grandboise, Bushie, Nadeau (One bloodline)Frederick (One bloodline) and Grant (One Bloodline) all named family is also direct bloodline of Joseph Montreuil Pembina sub-chief and treaty signer.
Signatory Heirs Jesse Peltier and Bradley Vervalen along with researcher Vine Blackfeather Sr. appeared in one of Canadian Film maker Coleen Rajotte's documentaries about the similarities and differences of American Indians and Aboriginal Indians of Canada, Signatory Heir Bradley Vervalen also had editorials in local and regional newspapers.
- "A group who were disenrolled from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation in North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
in the 1890s were led into MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
at that time by Chief Thomas Little ShellThomas Little ShellThomas Little Shell , was a chief of the Ojibwa tribe of indigenous Americans.-1850s to 1870s:...
(Ayabiwewidang: "Sit to Speak")"
Government
The tribal offices are located in Belcourt, North DakotaBelcourt, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,440 people, 806 households, and 561 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 417.0 people per square mile . There were 856 housing units at an average density of 146.3/sq mi...
. The current Tribal Chairman is Merle St. Claire, who took the office in December 2010.
Notable tribal members
- Louise ErdrichLouise ErdrichKaren Louise Erdrich, known as Louise Erdrich, is an author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American heritage. She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance...
, author - Albert Lee FerrisAlbert Lee FerrisAlbert Lee Ferris was a Native American genre artist. He was an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and also had Lebanese/Arabic ancestry...
, sculptor, painter, 1939–1986 - Leonard PeltierLeonard PeltierLeonard Peltier is a Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement . In 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first degree murder in the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine...
, American Indian MovementAmerican Indian MovementThe American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
member and author - Mark TurcotteMark TurcotteMark Turcotte is a Native American poet. He has published two books of poetry, Exploding Chippewas and Feathered Heart.Turcotte is currently a visiting assistant professor of English at in Chicago, IL.- External links :* * *...
, poet - Jamie Everett, model/actress
Historical chiefs and leaders
- Red Bear(Muskomukwa)-Principle Pembina Chief in the 1863 "Old Crossing" Treaty.
- Little Shell I
- Little Shell II
- Little Shell III
- Black Duck
- Red Thunder
- Kakenowash
- Kaispau Gourneau
Significant historical locations and settlements in North Dakota associated with the Turtle Mountain Chippewa
- Belcourt
- Dunseith
- St. Joseph (Walhalla)(Red Bear's Reservation)
- Pembina
- St. John
- Stump Lake (Black Duck's village)
- Grahams Island (Little Shell's Village)
- Round Lake village
- Buffalo Lodge
- White Earth River region
- Trenton / Buford region (TISA)
- Dogden Buttes
- Strawberry Lake