State of the band — legislative speaker sheldon boyd

Speaker Sheldon Boyd gives the State of the Legislature speech during the 2026 State of the Band Address January 13, 2026.

Good morning everyone, travelers, elected officials, honored guests, to the Anishinabe, and to our Indigenous brothers and sisters worldwide, and the cities of Minneapolis-St Paul, Indahnahwaymahgahnahdoog. I have you on my mind this morning.

On behalf of the Legislative Branch of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe I say Boozhoo, good morning!

We all hope this day finds you safe.

We have good snow cover so far this year and today is warm and sunny. The afternoons are getting longer as the sun begins its welcome climb higher in the sky each day now.

On behalf of the Legislative Branch, if I may, offer condo-lences, moral support, and hope for peace in Minneapolis, the state of Minnesota, the nation, and the world during these times of political strife.

There is outrage among the citizens in the metro area after the shooting death of Renee Good last month by federal forces.

Local citizenry standing together in huge numbers against a polarizing immigration policy that seems more a federal ideology that demonizes dissent of any kind.

I have a few things to say about the national scene overall, offer some comments to support the work of Band membership drafting constitutions, and try to tie these two things together for our membership.

The Government

As Speaker of the Assembly, I will open the 1st Session of the 22nd Assembly shortly on this the second Tuesday of this new year.

I always try to be mindful of those here for the first time, the Mille Lacs Band Government consists of three separate branches.

First, the Judicial Branch consists of the Court of Central Jurisdiction with Judge Dave Christensen and three Associate Justices from each district, Honorable Judge Brenda Moose from District II, District Ill the Honorable Judge Bernida Hu-metewa and from District I and serving as Chief Justice the Honorable Rhonda Sam.

Second the Executive Branch, by far the largest branch of our government is led by Chief Virgil Wind. This branch consists of Commissioners for Health and Human Services, Department of Natural Resources, Education, Community Development, and a Corporate Commissioner that provides a massive range of services to band membership and their families.

Third, the Legislative Branch where the Band Assembly, the legislature, enacts laws by passing legislative bills, resolutions, ratifies large contracts and is the custodian of the Band's Treasury.

Also in the legislative branch is the Office of Management and Budget and Department of Motor vehicles.

Intro Staff

Allow me to introduce members of Band Assembly. Myself, Sheldon Boyd, Secretary Treasurer and Speaker of the Assembly, and there are three voting members of the Band Assembly; District Representatives Carolyn Beaulieu from District I-Ne-laShing, Wendy Merrill from District I| and IIA-Minisinakwan and Chiminising, and Harry Davis here representing District IlI-AhShoMooog

Under Mille Lacs Band Statute, the State of the Band Address by Chief Virgil Wind and the State of the Judiciary by Chief Justice Rhonda Sam are given to this body, which represents the People of the Mille Lacs Band, once a year in the middle of winter. It is a time when darkness begins to give way and the people think about what the new year will bring.

Now, the Legislative support staff are Jared Miller, staff attorney, Reen Reinhart is the Revisor of Statutes and Danielle Smith the Parliamentarian and Clerk of the Assembly.

Deanna Sam (Motor Vehicles), Semira Kimpson, Harmony Stef-fan-Powell, and Dani Jo Harkness are frontline staff; Brianna Boyd serves as Legislative Director, and Valerie Harrington Wind serves as Chief Communications Director.

Now Government finances are overseen by Mel Towle-Commissioner of Finance, Chris Waite-long-time Assistant to multiple Commissioners, Joni Wall has been here as long as I can remember, Sara Waite who always has checks for myself and Chief Executive Wind to sign, and the rest of the OMB staff, these people have provided clean audits consistently over many years.

An outstanding body of work.

Now, two quick but very important updates on the Treasury of the People of the Mille Lacs Band.

The Legislative Branch is where the money is, and the duty of the Office of the Secretary Treasurer is to be responsible for the safe keeping of that money.

Members can be proud of Band Government overall that in the years 2019 and 2020 an oversight structure was created under Band statute to properly manage the investments of the Band. The creation of an Investment Board and statutory framework that supports the Office of the Secretary Treasurer.

First, within the first two years of being in full operation the investment board, overseeing the Bands investment advisor, has made a major behind the scenes impact in the sense that investment returns are the largest contributor to financial foundation of the Band outpacing gaming revenue.

Second, the Band Assembly are the Trustees of the Mille Lacs Band minor trust accounts. There is a major restructuring and reinvesting currently in progress that will maximize investment returns, provide a robust user interface for band member-ship, and provide financial literacy information for our younger band membership set to roll out this spring.

There are many people to thank for this work; Anne Weis-trich and Zeca Cardoso of Verus Investment Advisors, Investment Board members Amy Jensen, Andy Christensen, and Carol Peterfuso are investment professionals that freely give their time and expertise for scheduled meetings.

Band members on the board are Kate Davis VP of Finance Grand Casino Hinckley, Mel Towle Commissioner of Finance is Vice Chair, Chief Virgil Wind is a non-voting member due to separation of power, myself Secretary Treasurer serves as Chair, and Brianna Boyd is Committee Secretary under Band Statute.

Today

Concerning the political state of the nation, children see, hear and learn very early. They are the coming generation.

Electronic media algorithmically learns viewing tendencies and leads young users and the rest of us, and seems to promote polarizing political ideologies that are injuring the country.

Now there has always been this continuum of public opinion, with agreement and the rule of law somewhere in the middle and extremism on the fringes.

What's troubling is the fringes, on both sides, seem to be where the "show" is. That's where the clicks are, the numbers of followers, and financial reward for creators of that content.

There are two sides: people are who move around in fear and people who have no reason to be afraid simply because of how they look.

But today in the metro area those lines are blurring.

This weekend the ceremonial drums were brought out here in Mille Lacs to try and help the situation with food and prayer to ask the spirits for help because things are getting crazy on our lands. This has been Anishinabe land we have been here a long time. But first, I will mention the work being done on a constitution then wrap this up.

A Constitution

There are currently Band members working on drafting a new constitution for the Mille Lacs Band. Why? Thought we had one?

Our delegates have done great work researching the issue and I have learned a few things from them.

A fundamental reason is the one document cited in Band Statute; the Constitution of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. That document was ratified by the Unites States Secretary of the Interior July 24, 1936.

Constitutions theoretically emanate from a people, and we Anishinabe are not a creation of the United States government.

We are not the fruit of that tree.

I had the honor to speak at a Mille Lacs Band Constitutional Delegates meeting and I wanted to illustrate what I conceptualize to be the vast history of the Anishinabe on this Turtle Island.

Anishinabe Aki, our lands. Time immemorial, Chi May Wizh Zhah. We have a different timeline, a different sense of time. Allow me a couple minutes to illustrate that point.

Let's go back

There may be seating in here for almost 1,000, say there are spots for 10 people per table and there are 92 tables. I asked.

A generation is said to be about 20 years.

Parents take two chairs, 10 chairs per table so five generations per table. So, each table can represent 100 years.

I am going to start with this table here in the middle and leave those four tables on my left for later.

Now, let's imagine two young people sitting here in front. Now think about five sets of your grandparents at table one. Great grandparents, great great grandparents and so on.

First table 2026-1926, I'm going to leave that one for now.

Second table 1926-1826 has Treaty era, removal, assimi-lation, allotment, land cessions, etc., as tribes are exchanging land for a trust relationship with the federal government.

Third table 1826-1726 has more Treaty and land cessions but in the east, and the tribes form a blockade in the Appalachians and for years westward expansion stalled. The United States becomes a country.

Fourth table 1726-1626 maybe 4,000 to 20,000 Europeans on the East Coast. There are journeys into the interior of the continent where the Anishinabe ruled the Great Lakes waterways.

There are 92 tables in this room that represent the existence of the Anishinabe in this Turtle Island.

Each table represents 100 winters and summers. Somewhere in the middle the pyramids were built and we keep going back in time. Our time here on these lands.

Now look back at all these tables where our ancestors are sitting. Through literally 9,000 winters and summer seasons, our grandparents and parents kept their children safe on these lands.

They were strong enough, smart enough, and lucky enough to make it though the harshest winters, shortages of food, wars, and natural disasters. They hunted and fished, gathered food to feed the children in order to figuratively make it to the next table, or we Anishinabe would not be in this room this morning.

Time immemorial. Anishinabe Aki.

Now back to this first table. Through all these tables and now this table. In 1936, the United States federal government says you are now called the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and your Anishinabe blood is dilutable and can be replaced.

We are not the fruit of that tree.

The old people sometimes would say "If you have the smallest drop of Anishinabe blood in you, you are Anishinabe.”

I don't think we are going away, I think we have been growing.

Now let me wrap this up.

Cruelty

I was driving with my son, Shel Jr., last year and I commented about what's happening in the news, seeing migrant workers getting picked up, factories and stores getting raided, and these are people with brown skin.

"You know what I see happening these days is people are being hunted now. We are all the same. We all come from here. All different tribes and nations."

The media and educational systems want people to believe we are different but I don't see it that way.

Hunting the indigenous people of these Turtle Islands, North and South America, Anishinabe Aki, is nothing new.

The story is that many years ago my Grandma Mary Nica-boine at Ahzhomoog tried hiding my Uncle Jim Clark in the woods from the boarding school people.

They came back the next day unannounced and took him.

The Indigenous people have the least political and economic influence, but have the deepest historical ties on these Turtle Islands since time immemorial.

The land was the prize, the wealth above and below the ground. In land there was generational wealth. But there were brown people in the way.

Generational wealth and generational trauma are two sides of the same coin. The currency of progress in the Turtle Islands at the expense of indigenous peoples and our homelands.

Nearly half the states on the union paid for Indian scalps at one time or another, including Minnesota, $25, and land was being acquired by European immigrants for roughly the same cost. Two sides of the same coin.

Iron ore in Minnesota, gold in South Dakota and California, and oil in Oklahoma and Venezuela.

Look back at all these tables. Our ancestors are with us today. We Indigenous people have experienced disease, epi-demics, blankets with Smallpox, poison, kidnapping, and being hunted for money and states being reimbursed with federal dollars. The horrors of boarding schools and genocide. And still, we are here this morning. We are not without scars.

If the people today in the metro need help let's support them, be the fearless older sibling that holds no grudges ir moments of danger, because that's what family does.

Dangerous presidents come and go, we'll get through this. But the songs, the sounds of the drum are the inconvenient truth that America still has a landlord.

We are not immigrants. I hear tribes across the lands sing loud, we haven't gone away.

Our Anishinabe women have provided a continuous flow of blood and breath since time Immemorial. Our Anishinabe women have given us a continuous heartbeat since time immemorial, it hasn't stopped, ever. Like that Dayweigun right over there — the sound of the drum.

So, during these crazy times remember all those Anishinabe before us who got us this far.

Those tables over there are the future. We will make sure our descendants sit there.

Stand strong, have clear minds, and stay safe. That's all I have to say, Mii iiw. Stay Humble and be kind.