Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Encyclopedia
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBOI) is a federally recognized
Native American
tribe of Odawa Indians
. A large percentage of the more than 4000 tribal members continue to reside within the tribe's traditional homelands on the northwestern shores of the state
of Michigan's
Lower Peninsula. The historically delineated reservation
area, located at 45°21′12"N 84°58′41"W, encompasses approximately 336 square miles (870.2 km²) of land in Charlevoix
and Emmet
counties. The largest communities within the reservation boundaries are Harbor Springs
, where the tribal offices are located, Petoskey
, where the Tribe operates the Odawa Casino Resort
, and Charlevoix
.
and one of the three 1855 Treaties of Detroit. The treaties
ratified the cession of approximately 37% of Michigan's current land area in exchange for monies, reservations, and other benefits. Many of the provisions the federal government
promised did not materialize, so the tribes began to organize to sue the federal government to recover negotiated-for entitlements.
Three main groups organized political efforts in order to make the federal government aware of its treaty obligations to the Odawa. They were the Michigan Indian Defense Association, the Michigan Indian Foundation, and the Northern Michigan Ottawa Association (NMOA). Prior to 1982, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa was known as the NMOA, Unit 1. The latter of these groups began to file for fishing rights, but the federal courts refused to recognize NMOA Unit 1 as a tribe because they were an organization.
In 1982, the tribe reorganized and took the name Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, but a federal court denied the tribe its rights because it was not federally recognized. The tribe began to pursue legislative reaffirmation on the basis of treaty relations with the federal government. On September 21, 1994, President
Bill Clinton
signed into law a bill that reaffirmed the United States' political relationship with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
, a dialect
of the Ojibwe language
, is the dominant language
of some tribal members, the majority primarily speak English
. As part of language revitalization efforts, the Tribe sponsors summer language camps, language classes are offered at the local college in Petoskey, and free classes can easily be found in the area. Additionally, students at Harbor Springs High School can elect Anishnaabomiwen courses as part of their high school
curriculum.
to adopt a separation of powers
model that divides governmental authority among legislative
, executive
, and judicial
branches. Under this system, the Tribal Council exercises the legislative powers; the Chairman, Vice Chairman and appointed Boards exercise the executive powers; and a tribal court system exercises the judicial powers.
Native American recognition in the United States
Native American recognition in the United States most often refers to the process of a tribe being recognized by the United States federal government, or to a person being granted membership to a federally recognized tribe. There are 565 federally recognized tribal governments in the United States...
Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe of Odawa Indians
Odawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
. A large percentage of the more than 4000 tribal members continue to reside within the tribe's traditional homelands on the northwestern shores of the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan's
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
Lower Peninsula. The historically delineated reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
area, located at 45°21′12"N 84°58′41"W, encompasses approximately 336 square miles (870.2 km²) of land in Charlevoix
Charlevoix County, Michigan
-Airports:*Beaver Island is served by two airlines:**Welke Airport**Beaver Island Airport-Ferry service:*Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from Charlevoix:*The Ironton Ferry at Ironton, Michigan crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix...
and Emmet
Emmet County, Michigan
Emmet County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 31,437. The county seat is Petoskey.The county was formed April 1, 1840, from Mackinac County. It was first named Tonedagana County and renamed Emmet County on March 8, 1843...
counties. The largest communities within the reservation boundaries are Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs, Michigan
Harbor Springs is a city and resort community in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,567 at the 2000 census.Harbor Springs is in a sheltered bay on the north shore of the Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The Little Traverse Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse on...
, where the tribal offices are located, Petoskey
Petoskey, Michigan
Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
, where the Tribe operates the Odawa Casino Resort
Odawa Casino Resort
Odawa Casino Resort is a Northern Michigan casino resort. Located in Petoskey, Michigan, the casino opened for business on June 20, 2007. It is owned and operated by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. The resort replaced Victories Casino in 2007, which had served as the tribe's casino...
, and Charlevoix
Charlevoix, Michigan
Charlevoix is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,994. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County....
.
History
The name Odawa, or Ottawa, allegedly derives either from the Anishnaabe term "trader" or a truncated version of an Odawa phrase meaning "people of the bulrush". Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa tribal members are descendants of, and political successors to, the Ottawa of L'abre Croche who were signatory parties to the Treaty of WashingtonTreaty of Washington (1836)
The Treaty of Washington is a treaty between the United States and representatives of the Ottawa and Chippewa nations of Native Americans. With this treaty, the tribes ceded an area of approximately 13,837,207 acres in the northwest portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the eastern...
and one of the three 1855 Treaties of Detroit. The treaties
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
ratified the cession of approximately 37% of Michigan's current land area in exchange for monies, reservations, and other benefits. Many of the provisions the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
promised did not materialize, so the tribes began to organize to sue the federal government to recover negotiated-for entitlements.
Three main groups organized political efforts in order to make the federal government aware of its treaty obligations to the Odawa. They were the Michigan Indian Defense Association, the Michigan Indian Foundation, and the Northern Michigan Ottawa Association (NMOA). Prior to 1982, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa was known as the NMOA, Unit 1. The latter of these groups began to file for fishing rights, but the federal courts refused to recognize NMOA Unit 1 as a tribe because they were an organization.
In 1982, the tribe reorganized and took the name Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, but a federal court denied the tribe its rights because it was not federally recognized. The tribe began to pursue legislative reaffirmation on the basis of treaty relations with the federal government. On September 21, 1994, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
signed into law a bill that reaffirmed the United States' political relationship with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
Language
While OdawaOttawa language
Ottawa is a dialect of the Ojibwe language, spoken by the Ottawa people in southern Ontario in Canada, and northern Michigan in the United States. Descendants of migrant Ottawa speakers live in Kansas and Oklahoma...
, a dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of the Ojibwe language
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
, is the dominant language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
of some tribal members, the majority primarily speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. As part of language revitalization efforts, the Tribe sponsors summer language camps, language classes are offered at the local college in Petoskey, and free classes can easily be found in the area. Additionally, students at Harbor Springs High School can elect Anishnaabomiwen courses as part of their high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
curriculum.
Tribal Government
Prior to 2005, all governmental authority was vested in a nine-member Tribal Council. In 2005, the LTBBOI amended its tribal constitutionConstitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
to adopt a separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
model that divides governmental authority among legislative
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
, executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
, and judicial
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
branches. Under this system, the Tribal Council exercises the legislative powers; the Chairman, Vice Chairman and appointed Boards exercise the executive powers; and a tribal court system exercises the judicial powers.
- Tribal Chairman: Ken Harrington
- Vice Chairman: Dexter McNamara