Bois Forte Indian Reservation

Bois Forte Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation formed for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa (or Zagaakwaandagowininiwag (Men of the Thick Woods) in the Ojibwe language). It comprises three sections in northern Minnesota, United States.

Reservations

Nett Lake Indian Reservation

Nett Lake Indian Reservation (Ojibwe: Asabiikone-zaaga`iganiing, "At the Lake for Netting"), located at 48°05′31″N 93°11′12″W, is the primary reservation holding for the Bois Forte Indian Reservation, containing the unincorporated community of Nett Lake, MN. The area of 162.872 sq mi (421.838 km²) surrounds Nett Lake in Koochiching and St. Louis counties.

Deer Creek Indian Reservation

Deer Creek Indian Reservation, at 47°51′15″N 93°31′52″W, the second-largest section of the Bois Forte Indian Reservation, comprises 35.109 sq mi (90.931 km²) in Effie unorganized territory in Itasca County, just east of the city of Effie. This reservation was originally set aside for the Little Forks Band of Rainy River Saulteaux. Today, as the population have all relocated onto either the Nett Lake or to the Lake Vermilion Indian Reservation, this reservation is kept as a natural resources reserve for the Band.

Lake Vermilion Indian Reservation

The smallest section of the Bois Forte Indian Reservation is the Lake Vermilion Indian Reservation (Ojibwe: Onamanii-zaaga'iganiing, "At the Lake with Red ochre"). It consists of 1.623 sq mi (4.205 km², or 1,039 acres) of land at 47°49′11″N 92°20′07″W in southeastern Greenwood Township on Lake Vermilion just west of the city of Tower in St. Louis County, containing the unincorporated community of Lake Vermilion, MN. Set aside by executive order, originally for the Lake Vermilion Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, today this reservation is one of the most accessible Reservations for the Band. Consequently, the Band operates Fortune Bay Resort Casino, The Wilderness at Fortune Bay golf course and the Atisokanigamig (Legend House) Heritage Center out of this reservation.

Other Bois Forte Indian Reservation holdings

There are additional scattered parcels less than 40 acres (16 ha) in size associated with the reservation. The reservation's total land area is 199.605 sq mi (516.974 km²).

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, the reservation had a total population of 657; the Nett Lake section had 328, the Itasca County section had 157, and the Lake Vermilion section had 172. The Bois Forte Indian Reservation is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, who in July, 2007, reported 3,052 people enrolled through Bois Forte.

History

The community first entered into a treaty with the United States in 1854 that set aside an undefined region around Lake Vermilion as a reservation. The regions at Nett Lake and Itasca County were officially established in an 1866 treaty, and the Lake Vermilion lands were defined in an 1881 executive order. Following the Nelson Act of 1898, the lands were surveyed and subdivided, but the U.S. federal government did not force tribe members to move to the White Earth Indian Reservation.

50% of the reservation is wetland, and the 7,300 acre (30 km²) Nett Lake is said to be the largest producer of wild rice in the United States. There are 3 varieties of Wild Rice. One is located in Manchuria, which is located in northeast China and Siberia, another is located in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and around the Great Lakes, while the other is located between Austin and San Antonio, Texas.

Before the whites invaded, the Anishinabe people may have lived in what is now the Grand Portage Reservation region. That be before 1492. The name "Za-ga-kwan-da-go-na-bek" probably applied to all Anishinabe people in far northern Minnesota and northeastern Minnesota, on up to parts of northwestern Ontario. North and northeast of them, were the Anishinabe people William W. Warren named the O-ma-ski-go or Ma-ski-go. The name should be written both as O-ma-ski-go-wok, or preferably the O-ma-ski-go-na-bek. Nabe is another Ah-ni-shin-na-be word for male and man. Ah-ni-shin-na-be means "Spontaneous Man" in the musical Anishinabe Language. O-ma-ski-go-wok and O-ma-ski-go-na-bek means "Swampy People - Swampy Men" or Swampy Cree as the whites later named the northern most Anishinabe people.

Following the Seven Fires Prophecy, Anishinabe leaders commenced to send their soldiers out towards the west, after they learned that the people mentioned in the prophecy had invaded. The Anishinabe soldiers were supposedly not numerous in the region around the northern part of the western end of Lake Superior. The Anishinabe people followed a totemic system and had at least 20 totems. Some areas of the Anishinabe domain had larger populations of members of Anishinabe totems than other areas. For instance, areas where trade was especially important, large numbers of the Ottawa Totem lived. However, in general, all members of Anishinabe Totems lived together in all the scattered communities of the Anishinabe Nation. It was against the law for one member from the same totem to marry another member from the same totem. All totems had to live together.

Members from one Anishinabe Totem called members from other Anishinabe Totems, by their totem name. An example is the merchant totem members (the Ottawa) calling the military and police totem the Noka Nation of Noka Clan, while members from the Noka Totem called the members from the merchant Totem, the Ottawa Nation or Ottawa Clan. Neither were actual independant nations but regular Anishinabe citizens.

By the mid 17th century, large numbers of Anishinabe soldiers were forcing their way ever westwards as told to do in the Seven Fires Prophecy. They invaded the plains of southern Manitoba, and also invaded the north of Minnesota. At the same time, Anishinabe soldiers were also sent as far east as Maine and as far south as Florida, to defend Indian land against the white invaders. A long war between the Anishinabe Nation and the Dakota Nation, commenced after Anishinabe soldiers commenced their westward expansion. Even in the 1830s, the Dakotas were not getting the message Anishinabe leaders were warning the Dakotas about. Of course, that was the Seven Fires Prophecy. Instead of uniting to defend Indian land, too many Dakotas instead continued to fight the Anishinabe people. An example is the 1839 Fort Snelling Massacre, in which the Dakotas killed and wounded nearly 100 Anishinabe people.

After the 1862 War, the real Anishinabe Reservations of the north of Minnesota were established. Then in 1889, the United States passed the Nelson Act. The United States wanted to relocate all Anishinabe people from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota excepting the Red Lake Reservation and White Earth Reservation, to the White Earth Reservation. In 1898, the United States passed the 1898 Bankrupcy Act which is also known as the 1898 Nelson Act.

Fearful, Anishinabe leaders on the Leech Lake Reservation became agitated and commenced to negotiate about the "White Problem." Chief Gewezance was probably the main Pillager leader. He was assassinated. That did not stop the Pillagers from the Leech Lake Reservation from continuing to negotiate together and with the whites. Chief Bugonaygeshig became the main Pillager leader after chief Gewezance was assassinated. The United States tried to intimidate chief Bugonaygeshig by arresting him on false charges of bootlegging. In October of 1898, the United States attempted to arrest chief Bugonaygeshig again (they wanted to stop an Indian War), but in the scene which resembled the events which led to chief Sitting Bulls assassination 8 years earlier, a crowd of Anishinabe people gathered and forced the Indian police to let chief Bugonaygeshig and another Anishinabe man, go. Chief Sitting Bull was assassinated by the Dakota police.

The Leech Lake Indian Agent knew the Anishinabe police would not help then telegraphed for white soldiers to be sent to the Leech Lake Reservation. The war was on! On October 5, 1898 a force of 78 American soldiers invaded the Leech Lake Reservation then the island (Sugar Point) where chief Bugonaygeshig and his soldiers had fled to. In the Battle of Sugar Point, Pillager soldiers soundly defeated the 78 American soldiers. After the battle, a force of more than 200 American reinforcments were sent to the Leech Lake Reservation. The White soldiers may have numbered near 300. And chief Bugonaygeshig and other Anishinabe leaders, refused to surrender.

As for how many Anishinabe soldiers from the Bois Reservation participated in the minor rebellion, that is unknown. The Anishinabe people from the Bois, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, and Leech Lake Reservations obviously participated in the 1898 Rebellion. In fact, Anishinabe soldiers from northern Wisconsin may have participated in the rebellion also.

Instead of eradicating the Chippewa Reservations in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, the United States had been intending on doing, the United States met with Anishinabe leaders in 1899 and reached an agreement with them which allowed the Reservations to remain. That is why the Nett Lake Reservation is here now. Chief Bugonaygeshig is far more important to Anishinabe people than they realize.

References

• Bois Forte Reservation, Minnesota United States Census Bureau

External links

• Bois Forte Reservation