In their move westward from the east, the Sandy Lake Band was led by their esteemed chief known historically as Bi-aus-wa, just as other Chippewa bands were moving west led by their leaders.  The Sandy Lake Band settled at Sandy Lake in 1730 and were involved in many tribal boundary conflicts with the Sioux who were inhabitants of this area.

Ka-ta-wa-beda or Broken Tooth, the son of Bi-aus-wa, was chief of the Sandy Lake Band in the mid to late 1700's until his death in 1828.  He was present at the signing of the 1825 Treaty along with seven other signatories from Sandy Lake.  Chief Broken Tooth claimed the upper half of what is now Minnesota.  Governor Cass, the representative of the federal government did not dispute his claim.  In the following years, the Sandy Lake Band negotiated and signed ten treaties independently with the federal government.  Treaties of 1825, 1826, 1837, 1842, 1847, 1854, 1855, 1863, 1864, and 1867.

In the treaty making era, through Chief Hole-in-the-day, the Sandy Lake Band negotiated an 1855 treaty establishing a 60,000 acre reservation for the benefit of their people.  With the westward movement of the white poplulation and their need for more land, the Sandy Lake Indian Reservation was ceded to the federal government in the treaty of 1864, but article twelve specifically said the Sandy Lake people were granted a non-removable status which continues to this day.

In 1867, there were many attempts to remove the Sandy Lake Band for the next 20 years, some Sandy Lakers were removed to the White Oak Point reservation created by Executive Order in 1873.  Many returned to their former reservation at Sandy Lake, and some stayed at White Oak Point and were eventually integrated into the Leech Lake Band, via the Wheeler-Howard Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Also in 1867, the federal government created the White Earth Reservation for the removal of all Chippewa of Minnesota where they were to be given allotments and eventually assimilated into white society.  History shows that the removal was devastating to the Indians as they lost ninety percent of their land through some form of corruption, also many Indians moved back to their former lands and some never left even though their lands were ceded to the federal government.  Many Indians also roamed around landless.  The removal erased the identity of the Indians as many did not know where they come from.  The Wheeler-Howard Indian Reorganization Act did the same thing, as it did not take into consideration band or clan affiliations.  When the federal government rcreated the six Ojibwe reservations, they are now a mix of multiple band or clan affiliations.

In 1889, the United States Congress approved the Nelson Act or commonly known as the Dawes act. (51st congress, 1st session, House of Representatives, Ex. Doc. No. 247) The federal government tried to resettle all Indians from Minnesota on what is known as the newly created White Earth Reservation.  The federal government met with members of the Sandy Lake Band on September 19, 1889 to discuss the allotment act, the meeting was held at Kimberly, Minnesota, close to the original boundaries of the Sandy Lake Indian Reservation.  There were one hundred in attendance.  The Rice commission could not get a consensus from the Sandy Lakers to move

The Act proved a failure as most Indians lost their land holdings through some form of land corruption.  Also, with the Indian Allotment Act of 1889, the treaty established Sandy Lake Indian Reservation was erased from the maps, forcing the non-removable Sandy Lake Band to be a federally recognized tribe without a reservation. 

In 1915, because of the continued presence of the Sandy Lake people, President Woodrow Wilson by Executive Order created a reservation for the Sandy Lake Band on March 4, 1915.  The federal government through the Bureau of Indian Affairs stated that this act by President Wilson reaffirms the non-removable status of the Sandy Lake Band.  "1980 Bureau of Indian Affairs legal opinion, Elmer T. Nitzschke".

In 1934, the United States Congress passed the Wheeler Howard Act, also known as the Indian Reorganization Act.  This act was intended to fix the Indian problem created by the 1889 removal.  The federal government created the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, the tribe was an amalgamation of eleven Chippewa bands.

It is the claim of the Sandy Lake Band that we were overlooked in the structure of the Wheeler-Howard Indian reorganization act of 1934 and should be restored, according to federal law.  The federal government through the Bureau of Indian Affairs were to conduct a referendum vote on each federal reservation to allow the adult members of each tribe to vote to accept or reject the Indian reorganization act.  There was no such vote held at Sandy Lake.

Because of the Bureau of Indian Affairs failure to grant Indian Reorganization Act benefits to the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa, this did not terminate the Sandy Lake band's government-to-government relationship with the United States.  The Bureau of Indian Affairs lacks the legal authority to terminate a tribe that has been acknowledged by an Act of Congress and Congress has never taken any action to terminate the federal acknowledgment of the Sandy Lake Band. 

The federal government through the Bureau of Indian Affairs drafted a constitution and charters of organization for the newly created Minnesota Chippewa Tribe establishing the enrollment and structure for each recreated six Chippewa reservations:  White Earth, Leech Lake, Boise Forte, Grand Portage, Fond du Lac, and Mille Lacs..  Five of the recreated reservations were re-established by the Wheeler-Howard Indian Reorganization Act under section 16, a referendum vote was held on these reservations to accept or reject the terms of the act.  The Mille Lacs Reservation was amalgamated administratively by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, consisting of five separate bands:  Danbury of Wisconsin, Isle, Vineland, East Lake and the Sandy Lake Band.  Of these five bands, the Sandy Lake Band had a reservation still intact that was recognized by the federal government.  The federal government legally should have held a polling place at Sandy Lake to afford the people the right to vote on the Wheeler-Howard Indian Reorganization Act for acceptance or rejection.

Because of their historical differences, the Sandy Lake Band members never became members of the Mille Lacs Band because the Sandy Lake people were of a Mississippi Band heritage and the Mille Lacs Band people were more of a St. Croix heritage.  For example, Chief Sha-bosh-kung, was Chief of the original Mille Lacs Band that was moved to White Earth during the 1889 Nelson Act after they surrendered their non-removable status.  Chief Sha-bosh-kung and Chief Hole-in-the-day of the Sandy Lake Band had never gotten along.  This appears to continue to this day with the Sandy Lake Band and the Mille Lacs band, even though todays Mille Lacs Band entity are not truly representatives of the treaty signing Mille Lacs Band.  The Sandy Lake Band has no connection to the White Earth reservation either because of their refusal to move.

In 1940, there was an additional reservation established for the benefit of the Sandy Lake Band consisting of 147 acres which was negotiated by Monroe and George Skinaway, members of the Sandy Lake band who dealt with the federal government on this land acquisition.  This reservation is listed on various state of Minnesota maps as the "Sandy Lake Indian Reservation".

In the early sixties, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe revised its constitution and revoked the Sub-Charters of Organization and replaced them with RBC’s (Reservation Business Committees) and also changed the voting procedures.  Any person running for office had to be enrolled in the reservation they were running for office in, or to vote.   Due to the fact that the tribal members at Sandy Lake never became members of the Mille Lacs Band, the revision of the MTC constitution left them with no legal connections to Mille Lacs.  What the revision did was leave the Sandy Lake Band in a no-mans land. 

For 29 years, the Sandy Lake Band continue efforts to restore federal recognition to their tribe and rectify an injustice that has been done to their people.   Many tribal, federal and state officials have been contacted through the years and many have come and gone as efforts continue on the tribal, federal and state levels.  The road to recognition has been rife with problems.  The legislative avenue is now closed due to the large campaign contributions from the tribes in Minnesota to the Congressional representatives who continue to be very supportive of the Minnesota Tribes who continue to adamantly oppose the Sandy Lake Band's efforts to restore their federal recognition.  The Minnesota tribes do not want the competition that may occur with federal programs, federal funding, economic development, etc., if the Sandy Lake Band should succeed in restoring their federal recognition. 

Because of the poverty, lack of housing and employment opportunities and the continued refusal of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to restore federal recogntion to the Sandy Lake Band, many tribal members were forced to leave Sandy Lake for other parts of the state for employment, medical, and housing opportunities because they did not receive their share of land, housing, development or health care as prescribed in the Reorganization Act benefits and Charters of Organization.  Regardless, many members continue to maintain their identity as members of the historic Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Ojibwe.  To this day, the federal government and Minnesota Chippewa tribes could not wash that out of them.  We are often told by the Mille Lacs Band and the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe that our members are not eligible for enrollment and housing assistance because we are not Mille Lacs Band members even though the Mille Lacs Band claims our lands.  

Even though the Sandy Lake Band have encountered many road blocks and endured many disappointments, we firmly believe that we will eventually restore our federal recognition.  We will never stop the efforts even if it takes decades.  We are now teaching the next generation about the Sandy Lake's Band rich history and the gallant efforts to restore federal recognition.  It is the Sandy Lake Band's motto:  "Persistance prevails, when all else fails."

It is with a sense of irony that we must fight to restore our federal recognition as an American Indian tribe when our ancestors made provisions for us, their descendants through ten treaties with the United States Government and ceded millions of acres of land.  There doesn't seem to be much of a remedy for our situation in the realm of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, they were instrumental in creating our tribal situation and then washing their hands of it.  We have been trying to settle this issue with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Mille Lacs Band, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, and the United States Congress for thirty years.  In addition, the Sandy Lake Band's treaty history exceeds all other tribes in the state of Minnesota with the exception of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who are currently federally recognized tribes today.

It is the Sandy Lake Band's long term goal to rebuild our community, our language, our history, and the economic well being of our tribal members and our future generations.  


If you wish to help the Sandy Lake Band in their efforts to restore federal recognition, you can write letters of support to:  Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa, 54130 Loon Ave., McGregor, MN  55760.

Miigwetch.