Aitkin County Naturally
 
History of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

According to recorded oral traditions, the Ojibwe first lived on the Atlantic coast of North America. About 500 years ago, the ancestors of the Mille Lacs Band began migrating west. By the mid-1700’s, the Ojibwe had established themselves by displacing the Dakota in the region around Mille Lacs Lake. They supported themselves by hunting deer, bear, moose, waterfowl and small game; fishing the area’s lakes and streams; gathering Wild Rice, maple sugar, and berries; and cultivating plants.

Since then, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s self-sufficient way of life has been affected by changes that have come to their homeland. First, the United States’ desire for more land led to a series of treaties – the treaties of 1837, 1847, 1854, 1855, 1863 and 1864 – to acquire land from the Ojibwe. These treaties established an ongoing relationship between the Mille Lacs Band and the United States. They established how the Band and others would share land, fish and other resources. The Treaty of 1855 also established the Mille Lacs Reservation.

In 1862, the Mille Lacs Band was instrumental in keeping peace among the Ojibwe and sent many of its young men to serve in the Civil War. Meanwhile, Band leaders struggled with the shifting federal Indian policy and the timber industry’s desire to cut down pine trees located on the Mille Lacs Reservation. The Band continued to deal with the changes while maintaining its religion and culture. Over the next century, the Mille Lacs Band went through many hardships. Finally, in 1988, the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act enabled the Mille Lacs Band and other American Indian tribes to open gaming facilities as a way of promoting economic development and self-sufficiency. To strengthen tribal governments, Congress also passed the Tribal Self Governance Act, which removed some of the bureaucracy that had hindered tribal development. The Band’s cultural traditions remain strong today. We gather maple syrup, berries, and Wild Rice as our ancestors did. We continue to hunt and fish while respecting the land. The Ojibwe language is taught in the Band’s schools. Powwows are still held, popular with both tribal members and non-Indians.

Information provided by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Ricing
 
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