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This is an act to be celebrated and a history to be mourned. of Agriculture.Ī Leech Lake tribal news release said: “The land restoration is the culmination of years of effort and will honor tribal sovereignty, allowing the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to invest in future generations and build more housing to accommodate their community.” This year, Congress approved a bill to return some 17 square miles to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, lands that had been “ wrongly transferred” to the Chippewa National Forest, according to the Pioneer Press.Ĭhippewa National Forest. In fact, the government actively participated in undermining treaty obligations and facilitated land sell-offs to private business interests. The government was supposed to protect Native nations and their lands from fraud and abuse. Historically, it deemed Native American “incompetent” to manage their own affairs. The federal government has a trust responsibility to Native Americans. In fact, Leech Lake suffered more land loss than most other reservations in the United States due the efforts by lumber barons to get their hands on the band’s prized timber lands. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe holds less of its original reservation lands than any other Ojibwe tribe in Minnesota. (cross-posted from Scott Russell at Healing Minnesota Stories blog)