REDBY — Triumphs of the past year and goals for the future were shared with members and guests of the Red Lake Nation at the annual State of the Band Address.
The ceremonious event on Friday, Feb. 23, began with songs by an invited drum group.
Much like the president’s State of the Nation, or a mayor’s State of the City, a tribal nation’s State of the Band reviews the last year’s accomplishments and hopes for the next year.
Chairman Darrell Seki Sr. re-emphasized the push to reclaim the disputed eastern boundary of the Red Lake Nation: all of Upper Red Lake and a one-mile buffer around its shores.
“We will pursue these lands until it’s done,” said Seki. “The return of our lands that have been stolen from us by deceit and fraud.”
Seki pointed to the century-old dispute between the Red Lake Nation and the federal and state governments.
When the Red Lake Nation was being established as a reservation, the Red Lake chiefs presented a map in 1889 that included Upper and Lower Red Lakes. A different map was approved by the federal government, which appropriated the eastern boundary to the State of Minnesota in the Land Agreement of 1904.
Today, in addition to state-held lands around Upper Red, there are several private homes and commercial enterprises around the popular walleye fishing destination.
The band is also seeking the return of thousands of acres of state forest lands, which were leased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1940 without tribal consent. The leases are set to expire in 2035, and Seki noted in his address that the band is seeking early termination with the state legislature.
The Red Lake Nation has undergone several development projects in the last year. The Ojibwe immersion language school opened a new building late in the fall, named after spiritual leader and language revivalist Anna Gibbs. The Obimindwaa program building, which houses nine programs for intergenerational wellness, also opened in October.
The band’s economic enterprises also had successful years. Red Lake Gaming, operating at Seven Clans Casinos, has been expanding with improvements at the Thief River Falls casino, which also recently allowed alcohol sales on site after a referendum vote in 2022.
Seki shared positive reports on the growing buffalo herd and Red Lake Inc., which provides Red Lake food products like chokecherry jam, wild rice and maple syrups.
Looking ahead, Seki noted the Band is working with car manufacturers to establish electric vehicle charging stations on the reservation, and a developed solar farm is expected to go online this spring.
Red Lake Tribal Secretary Sam Strong spoke to unity and acting for the future in his address.
“We are the only closed reservation in the United States, and this came as a result of our ancestors uniting, coming together and having a shared future,” said Strong. “A future based on hope, unity, commitment and most importantly, a future based on remembering who we are.”
The Red Lake Tribal Council will hold a retreat to discuss constitutional reform this spring. Strong and other members of the tribal council have previously spoken out against the U.S.-imposed blood quantum requirements for tribal enrollment, likening it to statistical or mathematical genocide.
Also expected this spring, Red Lake Treasurer Vernelle Lussier announced she will host a financial summit for tribal members to answer questions regarding tribal finances over the last three years.
Lussier announced the Red Lake Band is managing more grants than ever, with her small team managing over 300 grants, which are from federal, state and philanthropic sources.
Following Seki’s annual joke at the end of his address, and Strong’s reminder of “mino-bimadiziwin,” or living the good life, Lussier opted for a more contemporary source of inspiration: Ice Cube.
“Every time I make any type of decision, I think about the generations ahead. I think about our seven generations. I think about our children's children. I think about my grandmas. I think about everybody,” said Lussier. "’We got to talk to our grandmas, and she'll help us through those dark halls and those pitfalls.’”
