COMMUNITY COLLABORATION ESSENTIAL

Sept. 15, 2026

Delegate Committee completes first round of community meetings

By Mille Lacs Band Delegate Committee

The Mille Lacs Band Delegates have completed a full round of educational and drafting meetings in each community. The first round began June 29, 2026, at the Lake Lena Community Center, and we returned to Lake Lena on Monday, August 24.

The first round of Mille Lacs Constitutional Reform meetings focused on Article V - Membership, which was identified through community surveys as one of the topics of greatest interest. Comments and feedback gathered from Band members will continue to be shared and considered throughout this process.

The Delegates will now move forward with the second article identified through our surveys.

We want to emphasize again how important these surveys are. Meeting times have been determined based on feedback from each district. If the current meeting time does not work for you, please complete the survey again and let us know. If the majority of respondents prefer another time, we will adjust the schedule to better meet the needs of the community.

Your feedback matters, and we want to make participation as accessible as possible.

MCT CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM CONVENTION

The Mille Lacs delegation continues to participate in monthly Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitutional Reform Convention meetings. The most recent meeting was held Friday, August 21, 2026.

One topic of discussion was the most recent Tribal Executive Committee (TEC) meeting, held August 13 in Cass Lake. Since the Delegations were created in 2018, communication regarding TEC meetings has been important to the Delegates' work. The Delegates were not informed of this meeting. This may have been related to the vacancy in the Executive Director position; however, timely communication about TEC meetings remains important because the TEC is designated to represent the people of each Band.

Each Band also provides an update during quarterly TEC meetings. Sharing this information is vital to the collaborative work of the Delegations and helps us better engage and inform our community members.

Mille Lacs has benefited from having a three-branch form of government. The Delegates continue to examine how government structures and the authority of the Reservation Business Committee affect constitutional reform throughout the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

Another focus of the day-long meeting, held at Black Bear, was "Putting Together the Puzzle of Historical Events, Constitutional Amendments and Future Removal."

JOIN US AT AN MCT MEETING

The Delegates have created a sponsorship opportunity for community members interested in attending these meetings with us.

We have space for two to three people to attend each meeting, with travel and hotel costs included. Sponsorships will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you are interested, please email mlbodelegates@mille-lacsband.com at the beginning of the corresponding month.

Whenever possible, requests should be submitted at least 10 days before the meeting.

The next meeting will be held September 11, 2026, in Grand Portage. Please note that this meeting is one week earlier than the typical third-Friday schedule. Contact your district Delegate or email us as soon as you know you are able to attend.

If funding has been issued and you are later unable to attend, you will be responsible for returning those funds to OMB.

MORE WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED

We are excited to announce an upcoming collaboration with Government Affairs that will give the MLB Delegates a dedicated page on the Mille Lacs Band website.

We have a great deal of educational information and updates to share. Having a designated location on the Band website will make it easier for Band members to find information about the Delegates and the constitutional reform process. Once that page is established, we will also be able to reset our Facebook page with an official Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe designation.

In closing, we cannot stress enough how much we need the people's voices at our meetings. The intent of this process is to expand participation and collect your input.

This fall, we would like to be in each community more frequently than the current two-month rotation. Our survey also asks whether Band members would be interested in participating through Zoom. We are available for daytime sessions, and for those who have work, school or other obligations during the day, we are willing to explore evening opportunities as well.

Please email us or use the survey form to tell us which days and times work best for you—and when you can commit to participating.

Your voice is an important part of this process.

# YourVoiceOurSovereignty