Fond du Lac Ojibwe
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Sovereign Government

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In This Section: Sovereignty and Self-Governance

Tribal Sovereignty

To understand the Fond du Lac Band, one must first understand the foundational concept of tribal sovereignty. Tribal sovereignty is the inherent authority of Indigenous tribes to govern themselves. This authority is not a "gift" from the federal government; rather, tribal nations existed as self-governing entities with distinct political, legal, and social systems long before the formation of the United States.

This inherent sovereignty is recognized within the U.S. Constitution, in treaties negotiated between the U.S. and tribal nations, and in acts of Congress. Legally, tribes are recognized as "domestic dependent nations", a status that affirms their right to manage their own affairs independent of state governments. These powers of sovereignty include the right to establish their own form of government, determine membership requirements, enact legislation, and establish their own law enforcement and court systems. The Fond du Lac Band actively exercises these rights, maintaining its own Tribal Court and body of ordinances.

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT) and Constitutional Reform

The Fond du Lac Band's governmental structure is multi-layered. The Band is one of the six member bands that constitute the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT). The other five members are the Bois Forte, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and White Earth Bands.

This six-band federation was organized under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934, a federal law that, while ending the destructive allotment policy, also influenced the structure of tribal governments. The MCT operates under a revised Constitution and By-Laws approved by the Secretary of the Interior in 1964. The Fond du Lac Band plays a direct role in this federated government, as its Chairperson and Secretary/Treasurer also serve as members of the MCT's Tribal Executive Committee.

The Government of the Fond du Lac Band

The Fond du Lac Band's official stance is clear: "We have always been, and continue to be, a proud sovereign Ojibwe nation". The Band's governing body is the Reservation Business Committee (RBC), which is also commonly referred to as the Tribal Council.

The RBC is a representative government composed of a five-member elected committee. Each member is elected to four-year terms on a staggered basis.

  • Two At-Large Officers: A Chairperson and a Secretary/Treasurer are elected "at-large" by the entire tribal membership to four-year terms.

  • Three District Representatives:

    • District 1: Cloquet (Bapashkominitigong)

    • District 2: Sawyer (Gwaaba'iganing)

    • District 3: Brookston (Ashkibwaakaaning)

Current leadership for the Fond du Lac Tribal Council can be found here, but as of writing (November 2025), consists of:

  • Bruce Savage - Tribal Chairman

  • Wayne Dupuis - Secretary/Treasurer

  • Wally Dupuis - Vice Chairman & District I Representative - Bapashkominitigong (Cloquet)

  • Brad 'Raff' Blacketter - District II Representative - Gwaaba’iganing (Sawyer)

  • Earl Otis - District III Representative - Ashkibwaakaaning (Brookston)

A critical, and complicating, reality of sovereignty in Minnesota is Public Law 280. Passed by Congress in 1953, this law transferred general criminal and some civil jurisdiction on reservations from the federal government to the State of Minnesota (with the notable exception of the Red Lake Nation, which was excluded). This federal action represents a significant infringement on the inherent sovereignty of the Fond du Lac Band to police and adjudicate all matters on its own lands, creating complex jurisdictional issues that persist today.  

In a powerful demonstration of contemporary sovereignty, the Fond du Lac Band and the other MCT members are actively engaged in a Constitutional Reform process. The 1934 IRA and the 1964 MCT Constitution were systems heavily influenced, and in many ways imposed, by the U.S. government. The current reform effort is a 21st-century act of self-determination. It is a grassroots, community-driven movement involving delegates from each Band who are debating new, culturally-grounded governance models (such as the "Alliance Draft" or the "White Earth Model"). The stated goal is to create a new constitution that moves beyond the U.S.-imposed IRA structure and serves the needs of "current and future generations". This initiative is perhaps the single most significant example of contemporary Anishinaabe sovereignty in action.