At about the middle of September, the Red Lake bands of Chippewa assembled at the Red Lake River to await a delegation of American officials led by Alexander Ramsey. Ramsey arrived on the 21st under escort by a small detachment of soldiers. On the 23rd, the Pembina band arrived and the first session of the […]
The man on the phone said simply, “We want you to help our tribe start a weekly newspaper.” The man on the line was Richard J. “Jiggers” LaFramboise, then chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and the year was 1992. I flew up to the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota not too […]
Seneca Snakeroot Below are some medicines used by the Turtle Mountain Chippewa to cure common ailments. Please do not try these remedies at home. Always consult a medicine man before using these remedies… _______________________________________________ White Pine. The needles of the white pine could be crushed and applied to relieve headache. The vapors of boiled […]
Les Thomas, President Kade Ferris, Vice President Arla Gourneau, Secretary Darrell Charette William Morin Alta Bruce Judy Azure Our board is elected by the members of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Historical Society to represent the interests of the members and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Members serve a term of 2-years. Native American […]
After the general failure to remove the Pembina Chippewas to Minnesota, the government was forced to review the validity of the Chippewa claim to the area north and west of Devils Lake. The Chippewa claimed their right to this land was derived from the several treaties. The government commission in charge of reviewing these claims […]
Red River Carts – by Kade Ferris The Red River cart used by the Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Metis was capable of carrying nearly a thousand pounds of cargo. It could transport this weight faster and several times more efficiently than a horse travois, especially when linked together into a wagon train of several dozen […]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF DULUTH (MN) JOURNAL Father Genin, 1888 To the Editor of the Journal: It is now too late that I may have time to look for the official report I had to make in June, 1888, about the deplorable state of affairs and the intolerable suffering of the Turtle Mountain Indians, […]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF DULUTH (MN) JOURNAL Father Genin, 1888 To the Editor of the Journal: It is now too late that I may have time to look for the official report I had to make in June, 1888, about the deplorable state of affairs and the intolerable suffering of the Turtle Mountain Indians, […]
Black Duck (Mug-a-dishib) was a brave warrior and sub-chief of the Pembina (Turtle Mountain) Chippewa. He was considered a great warrior and the defender of the frontier. He made his village near Stump Lake, ND and also camped and hunted near Fargo, ND. Around 1807 Black Duck raised a considerable war-party and proceeded south of […]
Click on the picture to see the full-scale state seal of Massachusetts with Little Shell on it. LITTLE SHELL ON THE STATE SEAL As you probably know, the picture of Chief Little Shell graces the official Tribal logo of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. You can see it on official Tribal letters, on the […]
RISING SUN – Se-gon-ake-skung Rising Sun (Se-gon-ake-skung) was a notable headman and visionary of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He was one of the original signers of the Red Lake and Pembina Chippewa Treaty at the Old Crossing 1863. Rising Sun’s village was located near Dunseith, North Dakota, at the western edge of Lake […]
The use of plants for medicine was a specialty of the Chippewa and much of the knowledge of plants gathering and medicinal properties is passed down generation to generation. The myriad of plants and their uses would encompass its own book. Those discussed in this section are but a few of the more common historically […]
In regard as to how the Red River received its name, Rev. E. G. Wright of Oberlin, who came to Red Lake in 1843, and was a missionary for forty years among the Chippewa Indians of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, states that the Indians informed him that under the water was another world, and that […]
Fort Pembina Attacked The fort at Pembina was attacked by a party of 200 Sioux at midnight of July 22, 1808. There were then twenty-two men bearing arms, fifty women and many children encamped in the vicinity. Alexander Henry defended the fort with the men encamped outside, nine men inside, and a mortar loaded with […]
