CONSTITUTIONAL DELEGATES UPDATE
By Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor
The Non-Removable Mille Lacs Band is one of six Minnesota Ojibwe sovereign tribal nations that shares a constitution under the organization known as the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. This organization was created by the United States Government under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1936. Its primary objective was to distribute the funds the Nelson Act of 1889 promised. The MCT’s authority was relegated primarily to elections, enrollments, and land. Today, the MCT member bands conduct most day-to-day operations within their respective tribal governments with little input from the MCT or its 12-member Tribal Executive Committee, known as the TEC. This TEC committee is composed of the elected Chair and Secretary/Treasurer of the six MCT bands.
The TEC began discussing the need for a Constitutional Convention in 2016, partly due to ongoing discussions about how the Constitution should be interpreted, who has the authority to do so, and whether existing interpretations are legally binding. In recent years, the TEC has also considered changes to enrollment rules and scheduled a Secretarial Election in 2015, but the election never occurred. The topic surfaced again in 2022 when TEC members were asked by some delegates to support a resolution to get rid of the 25 percent blood quantum requirement. The TEC voted to hold a referendum election to get an idea of what the MCT membership want to see happen. That referendum election has yet to be announced.
Band member delegates from each band have been meeting since 2018 to examine the MCT Constitution and discuss whether changes should be recommended to update it. The Mille Lacs Band delegates are Band members who applied to be delegates in 2018 and are members from District I, II, IIa, III, and the Urban area. The Mille Lacs Band Delegates Committee members are:
District I: Danielle Smith and Michele Palomaki
District II: Mick Davis (one vacancy)
District IIa: Leroy Day and Paul Sam
District III: Julie Corado and Birdie Roberts Urban: Al Olson and Lilah White
“The Mille Lacs Band Delegate members have been attending the Delegate Convention meetings with delegates from the other five tribes monthly, discussing random topics brought forth by all delegations,” Birdie Roberts, District III Delegate, said. The Delegate Convention eventually established subcommittees and prioritized the topics the Delegation would address. The topics include:
1) Rules and Responsibilities of the Delegation;
2) Secretary of Interior;
3) Enrollments;
4) Alliance;
5) MCT Organization;
6) Separate Constitutions.
The Mille Lacs Band Delegates are tasked with making recommendations to the Band members regarding their recommendations for revising the MCT Constitution. “We felt that in order to make any revisions, we would first need to learn as much as we could about the MCT and its Constitution. So, we contacted a consultant familiar with the Mille Lacs Band and the MCT and requested training sessions to learn more about the MCT and its Constitution,” Roberts said. “Our original position for the training is we can’t address the Constitution before we understand how the MCT was created.”
With the discussions about enrollments circulating through the MCT, including the Mille Lacs Band, the Delegates have found that “It is truly muddled and complex. It is overwhelming and complicated,” Al Olson, Urban Area Delegate, said.
The training sessions and ongoing research have been lengthy. However, the Delegates have prepared their recommendations and are eager to share their findings with Band members. They have prepared a report titled “A Preliminary Analysis of the Organization known as the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.” The report briefly touches enrollments, sovereignty and self-determination, culture and citizens, and government.
The Delegates will soon attend community meetings in each district, including the Urban Area, to share the Preliminary Analysis report. They have also prepared a video on the Mille Lacs Band YouTube page that can help explain their research and findings. The video summarizes the 37-page report. You can find the video at link.
Please note: The report and video reflect the views of the Delegate Committee only and does not represent the views of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The video nor the report may not be cited as a statement of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe's position or viewpoint on any matter discussed within the video or report.
In addition to the video and in-person meetings, you can also visit the Zaagibagaang website (zaagibagaang.com).
The Delegates believe this grassroots effort “will yield benefits in strengthening our sovereignty and self-determination for generations to come!” Roberts said.
The Mille Lacs Band Delegates are looking for a second District II Band member to fill a vacancy and help represent the District II community. For more information on how to join the Mille Lacs Band Delegates, please contact Michael Davis at 218-820-9140 or Michele Palomaki at 320-630-7415.