Tribal Government

Candidates who receive more than 50% of the vote in the primary win their elections; otherwise, the top two vote-getters face off in a general election June 9, 2026.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies heard public witness testimony from American Indian and Alaska Native leaders.

Darrin Smedsmo's vintage aircraft was impounded following an emergency landing within the Red Lake Nation in October 2025, and he is still waiting for a day in tribal court.

The court ruled that cannabis possession by Thompson, as an enrolled member on the White Earth band living on the reservation, became a civil matter once MN legalized recreational marijuana.

The attorney general filed a federal lawsuit to end "Operation Metro Surge," tribal nations are waiving fees for new tribal IDs for their members and ICE has reportedly been spotted in Detroit Lakes.

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians is the sixth of Minnesota's 11 federally recognized tribes to sign a cannabis compact with the state of Minnesota.

The move is already underway, following the announcement on Nov. 18, 2025, amid continued efforts from the Trump administration to begin to dismantle the Department of Education.

A Roseau man made an emergency landing within Red Lake Nation on Oct. 15, 2025, and tribal authorities impounded his aircraft, citing a 1978 resolution prohibiting low-altitude flights.

Like all of Minnesota, Leech Lake is vulnerable to a variety of natural hazards such as tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought and extreme temperatures.

Impacts vary depending on the available reserve funds held by the 574 different tribal nations, meaning every tribe is impacted differently.