Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation facts for kids

Seal of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians

The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation (in the Ojibwe language it's called Mikinaakwajiwing) is a special area of land in northern North Dakota, United States. It is the home for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. People living here are mainly Plains Ojibwe (also known as Chippewa) and Métis people. This reservation was officially started in 1882.

About the Reservation Land

Location of the main reservation

Map of the Turtle Mountain reservation and trust lands.

The main part of the reservation is in Rolette County, North Dakota. It measures about 6 miles by 12 miles. This area has many people living in it, making it one of the most crowded reservations in the U.S. Its land area is about 67.583 square miles (175.04 square kilometers). In 2016, about 6,369 people lived there.

The reservation also has many other lands that are not connected to the main part. These are called "off-reservation trust lands." They are spread out in 22 different counties across three states: North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota. This makes the Turtle Mountain Reservation's lands the most spread out of all reservations in the country.

When you add all these lands together, the total area is about 233.036 square miles (603.56 square kilometers). In 2000, about 8,331 people lived on all these lands. The biggest parts of these extra lands are in Rolette County, North Dakota. There are also important pieces of land in Phillips, Blaine, Sheridan, and Roosevelt counties in Montana, and in Williams County, North Dakota. Smaller amounts of land are in sixteen other counties.

The main part of the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Rolette County, North Dakota, covers about 72 square miles (46,080 acres). Another 26,175 acres (10,600 hectares) are also in Rolette County, near the main reservation. In total, Rolette County has about 72,255 acres (29,241 hectares) of reservation land. The Turtle Mountain Reservation is one of the few Native American reservations that managed to protect its lands from being taken by white settlers. The total area of the Turtle Mountain Reservation is about 146,805 acres (59,409 hectares).

Geography of Turtle Mountains

The Turtle Mountains are a range of hills that stretch along the border between Manitoba, Canada, and North Dakota. This area has many hills, wetlands (swampy areas), and flat high lands (plateaus). The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is located here. The part of the plateau in the U.S. does not have as many trees as the Canadian side. The trees here show that a large forest used to cover much more land to the west.

The plateau is only a little bit higher than the flat prairie lands nearby, usually about 500 feet (150 meters) higher. But some spots are much higher, like Boundary Butte, which rises over 1,000 feet (300 meters). Many lakes are found on the plateau. This shows that a very large lake covered this area a long, long time ago.

History of the Turtle Mountain People

In the early 1800s (around 1810-1820), Chippewa and Métis warriors fought with white fur trading companies. They were upset because the white traders were entering their lands without permission. They also disagreed about the valuable pemmican, which was a very important food for both the Chippewa and the fur traders. This conflict was called the Pemmican War. The main battle of this war was the Battle of Seven Oaks.

Historians believe that the Chippewa still controlled nearly 10 million acres (4 million hectares) of land in 1892. In the late 1880s, the United States government sent people to talk with Chief Little Shell III and his leaders. They wanted to make a deal for the land the Chippewa still owned. Chief Little Shell III was living in Montana and was not happy about these talks. The discussions went on for several years. They finally ended in 1891 when the U.S. government chose 32 Chippewa leaders to sign an agreement called the McCumber Agreement in 1892.

The Turtle Mountain Reservation was created in 1882. It was much bigger at first. But in 1884, the United States made the reservation much smaller, to only two townships, which is about 46,080 acres (18,650 hectares). The Chippewa had given up a lot of their land even before the reservation was officially set up.

Chief Little Shell III had given up land in exchange for a large reservation next to the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. But during the talks about the 10 million acres in the early 1890s, the Chippewa leaders and the U.S. government could not agree. The United States then removed Chief Little Shell III and hundreds of his supporters from the official reservation lists, which meant they lost their land.

In the mid-1860s, the number of bison (buffalo) started to go down. Bison were very important for the Métis people. They used them for food, clothing, and trade. The decrease in bison numbers made life very hard for the Métis of Turtle Mountain. Many Plains Ojibwa also moved to Turtle Mountain in the 1700s. This caused some disagreements between the Métis and Plains Ojibwa because they had to share the land and its resources.

Even with some disagreements, the Plains Ojibwa and Métis shared similar goals. They both wanted a reservation that the U.S. government would officially recognize. In February 1876, Chief Little Shell III signed a document from the Chippewa Indians of Turtle Mountain. This document asked the government for three things: to create a reservation, to recognize their political identity, and to allow them to sell land. They wanted to sell land because the resources on their land were becoming less due to settlers moving in.

In 1876, a plan was made to create a reservation for the lands claimed by the Métis and Ojibwa. By 1882, there was more fighting between the people of Turtle Mountain and white settlers, as settlers kept moving onto Turtle Mountain land. The U.S. government started to get involved in the lives of the Turtle Mountain people and made them pay federal taxes.

In March 1884, U.S. President Chester A. Arthur made the reservation much smaller, to its current size of six by twelve miles. This was a 90 percent reduction in land size. This made the people of Turtle Mountain very upset. This big reduction in land size actually brought the Métis and Plains Ojibwa closer together, even though they still had some different goals.

In 1892, the U.S. government decided that the Plains Ojibwa and Métis would be seen as one political group. However, they still saw themselves as two separate groups. After a conflict called the Northwest Resistance, many Métis from Saskatchewan, Canada, came to Turtle Mountain to stay with relatives. This increased the number of people and also the tensions on the reservation. There wasn't enough space for everyone, and the overcrowding led to a faster decrease in available resources. This caused deaths from starvation and disease. The harsh weather on the reservation, with cold winters and dry summers, made farming very difficult. The fast decline of bison numbers also added to the problems. All these issues caused more tension between the Métis and Plains Ojibwa.

The McCumber Agreement

In 1904, an agreement was made between the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the United States government. This was called the McCumber Agreement. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians signed it in 1905. The agreement said that the people of Turtle Mountain would sell their reservation land for $1 million. Many people thought this was not much money, so it was also called the "Ten Cent Treaty."

There was a lot of resistance from the people of Turtle Mountain against this agreement. Chief Little Shell III was a leader of the Plains Ojibwe, but his power was lessening because he couldn't solve all the problems caused by the agreement. He was very active in resisting the agreement, but his efforts decreased after he died in 1900.

In 1920, the people of Turtle Mountain formed a committee to sue the United States. They claimed that the government took 10 million acres of land for only 10 cents an acre. They also said the government created a reservation with fewer resources and did nothing to improve the crowded living conditions, starvation, poverty, and disease.

The Selkirk Concession

In 1811, a land grant called the Selkirk Concession was given by the Hudson's Bay Company to Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk. This grant covered a huge area of land in central Canada and the northern United States. It included parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Turtle Mountains were located within this large area of the Selkirk Concession.

The Tribal Constitution

In 1932, a tribal constitution was put in place on Turtle Mountain. This was 27 years after the McCumber Agreement was signed. The people of Turtle Mountain were told that this constitution would help them make their claims clear to the U.S. government. However, the constitution actually gave a lot of power to the U.S. government. Because of this, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians did not accept it. They felt it did not respect their community.

In 1934, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians were against a new constitution proposed by the Indian Reorganization Act. Even so, the Indian Reorganization Act was passed in 1934. Its goal was to help Native American tribes set up their own governments again.

The people of Turtle Mountain are still governed by the 1932 constitution today. Many people feel this constitution is not effective and does not meet their needs. In 1946, claims were filed with the Indian Claims Commission. Even though it was a slow process, the people of Turtle Mountain won a claim about the problems they faced because of the McCumber Agreement. Despite this, living conditions on the reservation remained difficult. The average income for families on the reservation was much lower than for other families in North Dakota. In 2002, a vote to accept a new constitution was rejected. Another vote in 2003 also strongly rejected a new constitution.

Trenton Indian Service Area

The Trenton Indian Service Area is a part of the Turtle Mountain Reservation. It was created in the 1970s to help manage the Chippewa land allotments in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota. Only one community is connected to the Trenton Indian Service Area: Trenton, North Dakota. About 500 people live in Trenton, which is a small, unofficial community just a few miles from Montana.

The Trenton Indian Service Area does not manage all the Turtle Mountain Chippewa land allotments. Some are managed by other agencies like the Fort Peck Agency, Fort Belknap Agency, Northern Cheyenne Agency, and the Cheyenne River Agency in South Dakota.

Communities on the Reservation

Several Chippewa communities are located on and around the small reservation.

• Belcourt, North Dakota
• East Dunseith, North Dakota
• East Dunseith Housing, North Dakota
• Green Acres, North Dakota
• Kent's Addition
• Shell Valley, North Dakota (most of the community, with a population of 395)

East Dunseith is on the plateau, surrounded by forests and many lakes. Shell Valley is in the far southwestern part of the reservation. Like East Dunseith, Shell Valley is on land that is part of the reservation but not connected to the main area. Belcourt is on the southeastern edge of the plateau, with forests to its east, north, and west. Many lakes are also found around Belcourt.

Dunseith is not on the reservation itself, but most of its people are Native American. Just east of Belcourt was an area called Turtleville, which had over 100 homes in 1997. Most of these homes were later torn down. More than 70 new homes were then built and named Kent's Addition, after Senator Kent Conrad, who helped get money for the housing project.

Directly south of Kent's Addition is another area with many homes called Green Acres Housing. This area has about 33 homes. East Dunseith Housing (which is different from the community of East Dunseith) might have up to 80 homes. It is just under a mile east of Dunseith. The population of East Dunseith Housing could be between 240 and 320 people.

Grahams Island

Grahams Island is also part of the Turtle Mountain Reservation. It is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) away from the main reservation. Much of the island was given to Turtle Mountain Chippewas. The island is on the north side of Devils Lake, near the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. Most of the island is covered by forest. In the early 1800s, Chief Little Shell I's village was located on this island. Other Turtle Mountain land allotments are in Liberty County, Montana, west of the Rocky Boy Reservation and 47 miles (76 kilometers) from the Blackfeet Reservation.

Economy and Jobs

The economy on the Turtle Mountain Reservation mostly depends on government jobs. The government of the Turtle Mountain Reservation employs 854 people. These jobs include federal, state, and local agencies, as well as schools on the reservation. The tribal government also owns the Turtle Mountain Manufacturing Company, which employs 186 people. Another company owned by the tribe is Uniband, which employs 350 people in the Belcourt area.

Other big employers on the reservation include the Indian Health Service, which employs 215 people, and the Turtle Mountain Community College, which employs 60 people. The local tribal casino, owned by the Turtle Mountain Reservation government, has 300 employees.

Day school in 1945

In the private business world, there are at least 135 businesses owned by Native Americans on and around the Turtle Mountain Reservation. In 2000, about 8,331 people lived on the reservation. The unemployment rate was close to 50 percent. This means that out of 5,222 people who could work, 2,748 had jobs, and 2,474 did not. The average yearly income per person was about $12,000, and 38% of the people lived in poverty.

According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the unemployment rate on the Turtle Mountain Reservation was 69.25 percent in 2010. In that same year, about 40 percent of families on the reservation lived below the poverty line. It was hard for many families to find jobs in nearby cities, so about 45 percent of those who left the reservation eventually came back.

Culture and Wildlife

A herd of 70 bison (buffalo) can be seen on the reservation along Highway 281. In April 2021, a white buffalo was given to the tribe. White buffalo are very important and sacred to Native Americans. In June 2022, the tribe welcomed the birth of a white buffalo calf. This was seen as a sign of hope and that their prayers were being answered.

Education

The Belcourt School District (also known as Turtle Mountain Community School) is the local school district. It works together with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).

Climate

The weather conditions on the Turtle Mountain Reservation are very extreme. Winters are long and very cold. The average low temperatures in Belcourt during December, January, and February are about -4°F (-20°C), -11°F (-24°C), and -6°F (-21°C). The average high temperatures for these months are about 16°F (-9°C), 11°F (-12°C), and 17°F (-8°C).

Summers are short and warm. The average high temperatures for June, July, and August in Belcourt are about 72°F (22°C), 78°F (26°C), and 76°F (24°C). The average low temperatures in summer are quite cool; for June, July, and August, they are about 47°F (8°C), 52°F (11°C), and 48°F (9°C). The average rainfall in Belcourt is about 18 inches (46 cm) per year. This region might also be part of Tornado Alley, an area known for tornadoes.

Notable People from Turtle Mountain

• Thomas Little Shell: He was a leader of the Plains Ojibwe and resisted the McCumber Agreement. He moved to the Turtle Mountain Reservation from his home in Montana and was buried there in 1901.
• Leonard Peltier: A leader of the American Indian Movement, he grew up here.
• Louise Erdrich: A famous writer who grew up on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. She is an official member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
• William Jennings Gardner: An American football player, coach, and also a law enforcement agent.
• Keith Richotte Jr.: A judge on the Turtle Mountain Court of Appeals.