LEADERSHIP: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
By Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Boyd
Good morning, everyone, community members, visiting dignitaries, elected officials, Anishinabe and to our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters worldwide, Aniin, Boozhoo, on behalf of the Legislative Branch of government of the Mille Lacs Band I hope this day finds you well. And to the people battling the wildfires out west please send your thoughts and prayers. These State of the Band addresses are markers in time as we come out of the dark of winter, the bright moon and biting cold, and we continue our journey as the Anishinabe Missis agaiganing. The People of the Big Lake. As Speaker of the Assembly and Secretary Treasurer of the Mille Lacs Band I will be opening the third Session of the 21st Assembly very shortly. This Session is special in that we will hear from newly elected Chief Virgil Wind as he gives his first State of the Band Address. Congratulations former District I Representative and now Chief Wind. We will also hear the State of the Judiciary address from Justice Rhonda Sam. To those people who are here this morning for the first time, by statute these addresses are given to the Band Assembly. The Assembly consists of myself Speaker of the Assembly, Car olyn Beaulieu from District I, NeIaShing, Wendy Merrill from District II and IIa, Minisinaakwaang and Chiminising, and Harry Davis here representing District III, Aazhoomog.
RECOGNITION OF STAFF
There were changes in the Legislative Branch this year where staff moved on to different roles within government and new staff came on board to take over those duties. Long time Parliamentarian and Clerk of the Assembly Darcie BigBear was ratified as Commissioner of Administration this past year, and former Revisor of Statutes Hannah Valento moved to help in the Chief Executive’s Office. Thank you both for your service, continued friendship, and best wishes on your new journey. Because of that we have new faces in the Legislative Branch; Jared Miller is staff attorney, Reen Reinhart is the new Revisor of Statutes, and Danielle Smith has taken over duties as the Parliamentarian and Clerk of the Assembly. Angela Pot ter and Harmony Steffen-Powell are also new frontline office staff this year as well. We welcome these people and wish them long careers in their duties of supporting the District Representatives in the extremely important roles of lawmaking and appropriation of funds. Deanna Sam, Semira Kimpson, Brianna Boyd, Valerie Harrington Wind, Mel Towle, Chris Waite, Joni Wall, Sara Waite and the OMB staff must all be recognized.
And to the People of the Band, I thank you for allowing me to serve as Secretary Treasurer and Speaker of the Assembly during these years supporting the members of the Band Assembly, Looking back, during my six years in office, the oversight of the band’s investments has evolved dramatically and for the better. For over 20 years there was one person and one compa ny, giving reports the Band Assembly three times a year. Now under new band law there are two major institutional invest ment level companies and an investment board of seven mem bers, all acting independent of each other for the best interests of the Mille Lacs Band. This arrangement along with statutory guidelines are the proper checks and balances to make sure Bands investments have the best possible returns moving forward. Verus Investments Anne Westriech and Zecha Cardoso, Northern Trust Bank Karson Wattles, the investment team my self as Secretary Treasurer serving as Chair, Mel Towle Com missioners of Finance as Vice Chair, and board members Amy Jensen Lansing Group, Carol Peterfeso Bush Foundation, Andy Christiansen State of Minnesota, Kate Davis Grand Casino Hinckley, and Chief Wind as a non-voting member. This new fiduciary investment structure provides your elect ed leaders with the financial insight needed to responsibly guide the Band moving forward. To all the people mentioned on behalf of the People of the Band I thank you. Earlier this year when it became clear there was going to be a change in leadership, I had a conversation with Jared about the role of the position of Chief of the tribe and shared thoughts about it. I said in one sense the Chief is that person who leads the people to someplace, who is down the road calling people to come this way, looking for and talking about things that don’t exist. That conversation made me think about our journey as a people and the change in leadership in the country and the landscape there.
NATION
Nationally it seems our country is divided with little to no middle ground. Comments on many levels are razor sharp, and rhetoric in the news and social media seem to successfully tar get pure emotion in both sides, where experience and impar tiality appear to be on the outside looking in. What catches my attention is what I see as the dehuman ization of our indigenous brothers and sisters in political rheto ric, and surreal planned policies that fuel partisan emotion and orchestrate fear. Where wretchedness to fellow human beings is once again clothed, made presentable, and invited to sit at the head of the table. Where conditions like poverty, addiction, and crime, though common to all people, have been assigned to people of color as racial traits, to keep a partisan history of America intact. If you pull on one part of the web of life, you will find it is connected to many other parts and is still a lesson in progress. To myself as a parent, this polarization of the social and political environment makes me think about our journey as a people to seek comfort, a place of refuge, and strength in our history as Anishinabe. Owning our history, One day I was actually trying to give a history lesson to my Son Shel. A lesson about our history, not the history he was learning in school. I am not a scholar, linguist or historian. But parents, aunts and uncles all fulfill those roles at one time or another. I told my Son there are stories and legends, and there are many Anishinaabe tribes all back that way (pointing east) so that makes sense. A huge linguistic footprint across the center of this Turtle Island, along and around the largest chain of lakes on earth. Our people must have come this way. Now as I was talking to him it reminded me when my parents would say something to me and it made sense. One of those moments you feel as well as hear, that gives perspective and guidance. One childhood memory in particular, Tamarack Lake, just before dark, that almost black and white half hour before the kerosene lamps were lit. That seemed to be history class watching my mom nod understandingly, where the silhouettes and the soft sound of my grandma’s voice seemed to be the only sound in the entire forest. That was our history being taught — not the history in schoolbooks long ago. Not the Dark Ages or the Renaissance, the Pyramids or the fight for Independence. That’s someone else’s history and that’s okay. Like other parents and families here today sharing with their children regardless of age, stories and comments they remember because they think it’s important. Because it gives perspective and helps. Our culture collectively keeps breathing.
THE GOOD SPOT
I was talking with Semira one day when thinking about all these writings and stories about the journey and there were stops along the way. The stories say they stayed for a time in a good spot. There must have been plentiful food, great location, comfort, maybe raise a family I don’t know. But I thought about when the stories say they kept going. How did somebody convince people to keep going? How did someone convince some of them to leave the beauty of where they were? It took leadership talking about things down the road — things that don’t exist. Leadership was able to do that or we wouldn’t be here this morning. Maybe they saw something coming or saw some thing ahead that would be good for us. We are still on that journey. When they had little financially and faced land steals and corruption, ShahBoshKung, Nayquonabe, Sam Yankee, Art Gahbow, and Doug Sam kept looking ahead and thought about us here today. They pushed for separation of powers, for state grant fund ing language to be changed to exclude references to tribal sovereignty. They talked about things didn’t exist at the time. They spoke about enacting criminal statutes, revisiting PL 280 that transferred criminal jurisdiction on our lands to the State of Minnesota. And calling for recognition of the Treaty Of 1837. In the 1980’s those things didn’t exist. The journey — they spoke about what was ahead.
THE STOP
Then gaming came. An explosion of financial activity that has changed central Minnesota to this day. The Band’s financial success I think is primarily because of our location. Location, location, location. Because our people stayed on their journey and would not be moved we are in a good spot now, gaming revenue, investments, houses being built, and huge number of services being offered to care for the people. But we have to keep going. Think about not getting too comfortable in this good spot because things might be changing nationally. The surreal dialogue from those coming to power. Our friends on the national scene leave us openings, a path forward, for example the Violence Against Woman Act pro vides for tribes to prosecute non-Indians. Those guys talked about enacting a criminal code in the 1980s. If we are content with allowing other's jurisdiction to continue for 75 or 100 years, then we have stopped on our journey. Like I said to Jared that day, when we are in this good spot, a term in office is four years, then eight years, that becomes 10, 20, and 30 years since gaming came. Then 40 years be comes 50, then 100 years quickly. I told Shel that an example of sovereignty is going to the county courthouse for things we should be going to our government center for. Birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, deeds to property, and a more robust court system. Things that don’t exist. If we can change that we will be on the move again. Our history making building blocks will be legislation and an exercise of tribal jurisdiction, along with those of concrete and cement. I don’t know how long they stayed in those places log ago, but I told my son that’s what our history is about. That may be the job ahead for these elected officials that sit here. The leadership. A job I am confident they can do. But they will need help. Help from everyone on this room. Think about our journey. I wish you well sir on your journey ahead. To the young people, stay humble, and be kind.
Miigwech.
Editor's Note: To view Speaker Sheldon Boyd's speech in its entirety, please visit the Mille Lacs Band YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/HXdpMtiE1PI.
