Esko resident awarded Bush Fellowship to 'indigenize' tribal law

Yahoo

06-06-2025

Jun. 6—ESKO — Tribal courts on reservations nationwide often rely on practices derived from the American legal system. For Esko's Megan Treuer, chief judge for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, these practices can overlook the nuances of tribal culture and, consequently, fail to deliver effective justice.
The Bush Foundation announced Tuesday, June 6, that Treuer is the recipient of a $150,000 two-year fellowship. The funds will allow her to further incorporate traditional Ojibwe practice into her tribal court by immersing herself in the Ojibwe language and culture, and travel across the world to mentor under global Indigenous leaders.
"We don't have a separation of our way of life, our ceremonial practices, or language and justice," she said.
The Bush Foundation aims to identify and support leaders in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota by providing monetary assistance to grow their capacity and knowledge to be even more effective community leaders, according to Adora Land, grant-making director with the Bush Fellowship.
"Megan was someone who we identified for the work that she's doing," Land said. "(It) would be really impactful (for Treuer to) have a fellowship in this moment."
A member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Treuer has worked in tribal justice for about 20 years and served as a judge for the past 12.
Through her fellowship, Treuer will focus on how to "fully indigenize" the tribal justice system by reexamining how justice is delivered in Indian country and revitalizing cultural justice practices that reflect how the communities have traditionally taken care of each other.
Bois Forte is one of two tribal nations in Minnesota with criminal jurisdiction, the other being the Red Lake Nation. Most of Treuer's casework is criminal and child protection.
Treuer believes that implementing Indigenous practices that reconnect legal jurisdiction to culture will result in lower recidivism rates and better outcomes. For example, she said that if a young offender partakes in a ceremony instead of being sent to jail, it could yield better long-term outcomes.
But to do that, Treuer believes she first needs to reacquaint herself with and immerse herself in her own culture and language.
Treuer's top priority with her fellowship is reacquainting herself with the Ojibwe language, which she admits she knew better as a teenager. She plans to take Ojibwe language courses and immerse herself where the language is frequently spoken, such as tribal ceremonies.
"It's hard to authentically deliver Anishinaabe justice when you don't have good command of the language," she said.
Additionally, Treuer plans to travel to seek mentorship from leaders of Indigenous justice globally. She plans to go to New Zealand, which is governed by the Treaty of Waitangi, the country's founding document between the British Crown and the island's native Maori population, which grants significant rights and recognition to its Indigenous population.
Treuer cited one of her mentors, Paul Day, the recently retired chief judge of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as a source of inspiration for the future of Indigenous law. She said he would often perform ceremonies in the Ojibwe language during court proceedings, such as a family being reunited or a child being adopted.
Treuer believes it is her responsibility to follow Day's legacy.
"Now that he's retired, and a number of other trailblazers are retiring or moving on, I feel it's incumbent on myself to learn what my predecessors used to do," she said.