BENA — As hundreds of tribal members, political leaders and stakeholders crowded the grounds of the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig حلحلآ» on Wednesday, the rhythmic pounding of the drum by the Ojibwe Nation drum group ushered in a spirit of celebration as the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe officially recognized the restoration of 11,760 acres of land into tribal boundaries.
“We are mindful of what our ancestors sacrificed to protect our sovereignty and our way of life through a series of treaties and agreements,†Tribal Chairman Faron Jackson Sr. said. “We know that our relatives are here with us today… and our spirit birds fly above us today, and our relatives see through their eyes what's happening here.
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“And they are happy. They are overjoyed, and the spirit bird carries the messages from our relatives that are in the spirit world today.â€
Enacted in December 2020, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act sought to “right a historical wrong†by restoring lands that had been taken through illegal transfers, namely land transferred to the Chippewa National Forest in the 1940s and 50s.
This legislation was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and
“It started with the Nelson Act in the late 1800s, the unilateral founding of the (Chippewa National Forest) in the early 1900s, and a series of illegal takings known as secretarial transfers in the 1940s and 50s,†Jackson detailed. “Because of these actions, we control less than 5% of our treaty-guaranteed homelands today.â€
Jackson expressed hope that the restored lands will allow the Band greater access to its sacred places and cultural resources, and to meet the needs of Band members.
“Dispossession of our homelands has aggravated social issues related to homelessness. With all of this land being returned, we’re going to have more available land to build homes for our members that are experiencing homelessness,†Jackson said. “That’s a priority for the tribal council.â€
Honoring sovereignty
The restoration follows the signing of a Decision Memo by U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Tony Dixon in June.
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Representatives from the Chippewa National Forest and Leech Lake Band jointly identified land parcels to be transferred with an intent to limit fragmentation of ownership boundaries while honoring private property rights.
The legislation’s language made provisions for honoring any existing private property rights such as easements, permits and other encumbrances.
In addition to the 11,760 acres most recently restored, surveyors from the U.S. Department of the Interior discovered another 4,362 acres that had not been included in the As such, the Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Technical Corrections Act was introduced in March 2023.
“We have that bill to restore those roughly 4,000 acres and I will not rest until that piece of work is done,†Sen. Smith remarked to the crowd that offered a round of applause. “Today, we celebrate a huge step forward, a recognition of the wrongs that have been committed, but with great hope and joy for the future ahead of us.â€
Rep. McCollum shared similar sentiments as she offered an apology to the Band for the illegal transfer.
"These parcels of land are not just forest land," McCollum said. "We know that they are your homelands, that they manifest your sovereignty as a tribal nation and they are a promise that you make to your future generations. ... I am humbled to stand here today to have played just a very small part in seeing this celebration come to pass."
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Setting an example
Several speakers expounded on their excitement of the Band’s recent victory and what could be considered an example for other tribal nations throughout their restoration efforts.
Red Lake Nation gained some traction in its efforts to restore tribal boundaries this past legislative session. The Nation intends to restore boundaries to include the entirety of Upper Red Lake along with a 1-mile buffer.
Similarly, White Earth Nation sought a transfer of 155,000 acres of the White Earth State Forest to its own boundaries.
“This restoration of over 11,000 acres offers encouragement and hope to all tribal nations who seek to right the wrongs of illegal land transfers,†National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro said. “Today’s transfer restores justice to a sad chapter of injustice from over 70 years ago.â€
Bryan Newland, assistant secretary of Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior, detailed in restoring an acre of land used for burial grounds, which was recognized in 2022.
“When we were celebrating the return of that land, Chairman (Kevin) DuPuis said something that I’ve always thought he could say best,†Newland said. “He said, â€کThe federal government takes things from us with the stroke of a pen, and we have to spend generations fighting just to get a piece of it back.’
“That’s part of the Indian way, that generational work and carrying that effort forward for generations.â€
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Once speeches concluded, attendees enjoyed a meal of walleye and wild rice as the Leech Lake Band celebrated the fruits of its labor and committed to future efforts.
“We can not change the past, but we need to acknowledge it,†Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said. “I want to be very clear, â€کLand Back’ isn’t just a hashtag or something you see on a T-shirt or on a flag that’s being flown. It is intentional, detailed, hard work that we do together, and it is worth doing.â€
More detailed information about the land transfer and the Decision Memo can be found on the
The Trust Project
