1125R_Fond_du_Lac_Reservation_Locator_Map

The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation (or Nah-Gah-Chi-Wa-Nong (''Nagaajiwanaang'' in the Double Vowel orthography), meaning "Where the current is blocked" in the

Ojibwe language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian lan ...

) is an Indian reservation in northern

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

near Cloquet in Carlton and Saint Louis counties. Off-reservation holdings are located across the state in Douglas County, in the northwest corner of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The total land area of these tribal lands is . It is the land-base for the

Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (or Wayekwaa-gichigamiing Gichigamiwininiwag in the Ojibwe language, meaning "Lake Superior Men at the far end of the Great Lake") is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) band located near Cloquet, Minnesota. Their l ...

. Before the establishment of this reservation, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa were located at the head of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

, closer to the mouth of the Saint Louis River, where

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

has developed.

History

The tribe ceded land to the US as part of an 1837 treaty along with other Ojibwa bands; the lands were located mainly from east-central Minnesota to north-central Wisconsin. Later, as part of the

Treaty of La Pointe The Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe (Chippewa) Native American peoples. In addition, the Isle Royale Agreement, an adhesion to the first Trea ...

in 1842, the Fond du Lac Band and other Ojibwa tribes ceded large tracts of land located mainly in the

watershed in Wisconsin and the western

Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

. As part of an 1854 treaty, the tribe and the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa (largely situated along the northern shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota) ceded more land to the US. Under this 1854 treaty, the US established the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation farther up the Saint Louis River, at its present location. The original ''Nagaajiwanaang'' Reservation was 1.25 times the current size. In treaty discussions the US representatives were recorded as promising the inclusion of the Perch and Big lakes, but these were excluded from the original reservation. Its boundaries extended westward to the western boundaries of the

1854 Ceded Territory Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The Teu ...

. Upon appeal by the tribe, the US extended the reservation boundaries southward to include the two said lakes, but as a concession, the tribe had to agree to a reduction in the western boundaries, which were placed at the current location. On September 2 1862 a letter was sent from the Fond du Lac St. Louis Reservation to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Alexander Ramsey Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 April 22, 1903) was an American politician. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 1840s and the 1880s. He was the first Minnesota Territorial Governor. Early years and fa ...

. Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub and Chief Shin-Gwack(Shin-goob) requested that the Governor relay to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

that the Fond du Lac Chippewa wanted to help with the Sioux Uprising. The Fond du Lac Reservation was subject to allotment under the

Dawes Act The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the Pres ...

of 1887 and the

Nelson Act of 1889 An act for the relief and civilization of the Chippewa Indians in the State of Minnesota (51st-1st-Ex.Doc.247; ), commonly known as the Nelson Act of 1889, was a United States federal law intended to relocate all the Anishinaabe people in Minnesot ...

, causing tribal land to be subdivided into the ownership of individual tribal members or alienated to white settlers and timber companies. Almost 3/4 of the Fond du Lac reservation had passed into non-native ownership by 1934. The band began to reacquire land after the

Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

and had regained control of just over half of the land within the reservation by 1981.

Government

The FDL adopted a written constitution with an elected government. Its tribal council has five members, who serve four year staggered terms. The FDL operates social services, tribal housing, a tribal police force, a natural resource building, a gas station, three community centers, and a private health clinic and pharmacy called ''Min No Aya Win'' Health Center. The tribe also operates two satellite health clinics, one in Duluth, named The Center for American Indian Resources (CAIR), and another in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, the ''Mashkiki Waakaaigan'' Pharmacy (Medicine House). It has numerous members who live in these urban areas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the combined reservation and off-reservation trust land have a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the total population living on Fond du Lac Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land was 4,184. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,713 housing units at an average density of . The Lac du Flambeau Reservation has a significant non-native population due in part to the allotment and sale of reservation lands in the early twentieth century. The racial makeup of the reservation and off-reservation trust land in 2020 was 50.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 41.6% Native American, 0.4%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.4% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 7.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.4%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race.

Economy

The tribe owns two

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

s: Black Bear Casino (and golf course) in Carlton, Minnesota and Fond-du-Luth-Casino in

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. The tribe also owns Northwoods Radio, FDL Gas & Grocery, FDL Propane, and FDL Sand & Gravel.

Communities

* Big Lake (in Perch Lake Township) * Brookston * Cloquet (part) * Mahnomen (in Brevator Township)

Townships

* Arrowhead Township (part) * Brevator Township (part) * Brookston (city not included in any other township) * Cloquet (part; city not included in any other township) * Culver Township (part) * North Carlton unorganized territory (part) * Perch Lake Township * Stoney Brook Township (most) * Twin Lakes Township (part)

Notable members

* Jim Northrup, columnist

References

External links

Fond du Lac Reservation

2000 US Census Tract Map for the Fond du Lac Reservation (T1125)

* ttp://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol1/HTML_files/APP1047.html Digital copy of the letter requesting to modify the Fond du Lac Reservation
Digital copy of the Executive Order modifying the Fond du Lac Reservation

Black Bear Casino ResortFond du Lac Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Minnesota/Wisconsin
United States Census Bureau {{DEFAULTSORT:Fond Du Lac Indian Reservation Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa American Indian reservations in Minnesota Native American tribes in Minnesota Populated places in Carlton County, Minnesota Populated places in St. Louis County, Minnesota Anishinaabe reservations and tribal-areas in the United States Ojibwe reserves and reservations