Spirit of unity resonates during Red Lake State of the Band Address

Yahoo

29-03-2025

Mar. 28—REDBY — The 2025
Red Lake Nation
State of the Band Address cast a particular focus on treaties and why they matter.
Held at the Oshkiimaajitahdah Community Center in Redby on Friday, honoring various treaties throughout history proved to be a common theme through speeches of the morning and early afternoon alongside song, dance and other Anishinaabe traditions.
With music provided by the Little Bear Drum Group, the event kicked off with the procession of tribal royalty. Fred Desjarlait, Jr. then offered an opening prayer and following a veteran's song by Little Bear, members of the Red Lake Nation Tribal Council took turns at the podium.
Reflecting on 2024 as Red Lake Nation proceeds through the first three months of 2025, all speakers reflected on the struggles of prior generations paralleling with struggles that persist today.
"We gather here today as one people of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians," Tribal Secretary Sam Strong said, "united at a crossroads of history and hope. Our ancestors endured unimaginable trials so we could stand here today, practicing our way of life, speaking our language on land that was never ceded. Now is the time to honor that sacrifice.
"Now is the time to come together, stronger, more united than ever, to build a future worthy of our children's dreams. We must come together, not just in words, but in spirit and in actions. We are one Nation."
Underscoring Strong's remarks, Tribal Chairman Darrell Seki Sr. detailed a lengthy history regarding treaty obligations and Red Lake Nation's respective experiences.
Similar to prior years, Seki detailed current efforts to
restore boundaries to include the entirety of Upper Red Lake,
of which roughly 60% currently falls within tribal boundaries. The band had introduced legislation last year as a means to comply with treaty negotiations of 1889, which was
met with a mixture of support and opposition.
A similar measure was introduced in January by Minnesota Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, which would transfer all state-owned land and real property in the Red Lake State Forest to the Nation, along with a 1-mile buffer of land surrounding Upper Red Lake.
Seki detailed additional efforts during Red Lake Nation Day at the Capitol on March 26, including the tribal council's support for legislation that would provide for the ability of Red Lake conservation officers to enforce conservation laws on Upper Red Lake.
"Because of their familiarity with the lake and because they inherently care about the health of the lake," Seki said. "Legislation has been drafted, has been introduced in both houses of the state legislature — providing for the ability of tribal conservation officers to enforce conservation laws on a portion of Red Lake that is currently considered off-reservation — with 30% stolen by fraud and deception."
Seki also took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's role within the Department of Government Efficiency, saying the administration is creating profound uncertainty regarding funding for several tribal programs and initiatives.
"One of the focuses is the dismantling of anything related to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as environmental justice, green energy, assisting underserved communities including tribes," Seki said. "Many programs, grants and services have been frozen, including ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, fish hatcheries and tribal electrification like solar.
"But tribes are standing up to this assault. Tribes are governments with unique standing as spelled out in our treaties in Article VI of the United States Constitution, which says our treaties are the supreme law of the land."
Seki also addressed
Trump's Executive Order regarding birthright citizenship,
the practice of granting citizenship to any child born within the U.S. an American citizen including those born to foreign citizens who happen to give birth while in the U.S.
Trump's order states, "The Fourteenth Amendment has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof.' Consistent with this understanding, Congress has further specified through legislation that 'a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof' is a national and citizen of the United States at birth."
The order lays out two categories of those born in the U.S. and not "subject to jurisdiction thereof" including those whose "mother's presence was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person's birth," or a similar case when a parent's presence is lawful but temporary.
"He ordered what he has called a round-up and mass deportation of non-citizens who don't have current immigration documents," Seki said. "This has frightened many people of color who are U.S. citizens but lack a passport or other evidence of citizenship.
"Indian culture became especially alarmed after hearing the arguments recently used in federal court by the U.S. Justice Department on President Trump's order ending birthright citizenship. These federal lawyers said birthright citizenship was not automatically conferred upon the offspring of American Indians not taxed in the 1800s because their native parents were not citizens. Therefore, the same should be true of children born to non-citizens today in the U.S.
"The Justice Department lawyers failed to mention in their argument that Congress in 1924 enacted a law that conferred citizenship on all Native American Indians. The 1924 federal statute, as well as some treaties and agreements, make it very plain that today, American Indians are citizens of the United States. No presidential order can legally change that law."
Emphasizing his commitment to defend tribal sovereignty, Seki noted the band must be ready should substantial funding cuts come to fruition in 2026.
"We've got to stand up, not be afraid, stand firm in what we believe in," Seki said, "to protect our people here on the reservation from the small to the golden age, and the future generations."
Tribal Treasurer Vernelle Lussier noted that out of 17,209 total enrolled Red Lake band members, around 7,000 members — or 41% of its population — reside inside of tribal boundaries. She encouraged unity of the band regardless of each member's physical location.
"We are in unknown times today," Lussier said, "and that's just something we're all working to navigate through the best we can."
Highlighting a spirit of unity, Red Lake Executive Administrator Jason Defoe and Red Lake Gaming CEO Angela Dauphinais also provided in-person speeches and several Red Lake agencies — ranging from the Red Lake Department of Agriculture to Chemical Health Programs and Red Lake Detention Services to the Department of Public Safety — offered video updates of their respective work.
Such updates allowed attendees to take note of the variety of voices at the table to create a better Red Lake Nation for tomorrow.
"The challenges we face — unemployment, addiction, loss of language, threats to our sovereignty — these threats do not discriminate. These are shared struggles, and as such, they demand a shared response," Strong left off. "As we look to the future, we must realize that we need to sustain ourselves.
"We need to grow our own food. We will produce our own energy. We will be self-sustaining even when the world is in crisis. That is the strength of true sovereignty."