Latest news with #LeechLakeBand
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2025 Bush Foundation Fellowship recognizes Leech Lake Nation's Megan Treuer
Jul. 5—ESKO — Leech Lake Band member Megan Treuer is in good company given the recent announcement that she would join 28 other community leaders as part of the 2025 Bush Foundation Fellowship. Awarded to those with a track record of leading change and seeking to expand their community impact, the Fellowship will allow Treuer to pursue her professional goals as the country's first known female Native American judge and daughter of one of Minnesota's first Native attorneys. "I was thrilled and excited, but also humbled," Treuer recalled upon hearing the news of her award. "I had been looking for a way to scale back my caseload and really focus on immersing myself in the Ojibwe language. I know less than I did when I was a kid, so the Bush Fellowship came to my attention that way." Treuer noted personal connections to other recipients in prior years, allowing her to garner some background information on the award. With the Bush Foundation receiving around 1,000 applications for the 2025 cohort, each fellow receives up to $150,000 over a two-year period to support a self-designed leadership plan. Treuer plans to leverage her award with distinct goals in mind. "My No. 1 priority is becoming more proficient in the language, taking Ojibwe language courses and attending ceremonies connected to the language," Treuer said. Her second priority includes taking a step back from contract work with tribal courts as a tribal court judge but continuing her role as chief judge for Bois Forte Tribal Court. She also plans to connect with Indigenous legal mentors, scholars and spiritual leaders. "I really want to focus on what Anishinaabe justice used to be and really incorporate that into our modern-day Anishinaabe tribal justice systems," she added. Treuer also hopes to "recharge" during the two-year stint, aiming to spend quality time with her spouse and children. Attending school in Bemidji, Treuer continued her studies as a history major at the University of California Berkeley before attending law school at Hamline University. She soon secured a job at Anishinaabe Legal Services where she represented Red Lake members. "I had always wanted to come back and advocate for my community in some capacity," Treuer said. "I didn't necessarily know that I would become a lawyer, but that's how it worked out." The next step in her career journey involved criminal defense at Regional Native Defense where she represented Leech Lake and White Earth members in criminal cases throughout the region. Come 2013, she took the bench as a tribal court judge with Leech Lake, allowing her to live out a childhood desire. "I remember having a strong passion, feeling that things were not as they should be and wanting to advocate for my people and my community," Treuer mentioned. "That's fueled me." Treuer noted how skin color played a role in shaping her and her family members' experiences growing up. "Having a lighter complexion, I saw how even my siblings and close family members who are darker-complected were treated and seeing those differences. I remember being keenly aware of that even as a really young child," she said. "I found my calling for justice and equality that way." Through her work, Treuer aims to be a good ancestor for younger generations as well as the generations yet to come. "My predecessors, first, were surviving colonization and now we've maintained our teachings, our language, our ceremonies, our way of life," Treuer left off. "Not only did my predecessors survive, but they preserved all of that for us in the generations to come. "That's what I'm all about, making our way of life and teachings a part of our government infrastructure so those who are struggling the most don't have to look for who they are anymore because it'll all be right here." Information for the 2026 Bush Fellowship will become available at The Fellowship is open to anyone 24 years and older who live in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or one of the 23 tribal nations that share the same geography.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Celebration set to mark 10 years of Chief Bemidji statue
May 23—BEMIDJI — Shaynowishkung (he who rattles) was an unorthodox Ojibwe leader from the mid-19th century, known as a peacemaker among settlers and the roughly 50 Ojibwe who followed him. Over time, Shaynowishkung became a beloved figure to both groups that called the Bemidji area home. Commonly known as "Chief Bemidji," he gained the title among settlers as they mistook the lake's name, Bemijigamaag, as his own. To honor the charismatic leader, Bemidji erected the Chief Shaynowishkung statue that stands at Library Park along Paul Bunyan Drive with Lake Bemidji as a backdrop, roughly a century and a half after he placed his stake in the region. His statue has stood strong and tall for 10 years. The Beltrami County Historical Society, in partnership with the Bemidji Statue Committee, will host a celebration to honor the statue's 10th anniversary at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, at Library Park. "This special event honors a decade of reflection, remembrance and recognition of Shaynowishkung, an Ojibwe leader whose presence continues to shape our understanding of local history, diplomacy and cultural respect," a release said. The ceremony will begin with a brief presentation at the statue, followed by a guided walk to Shaynowishkung's historic home site near The Coffee District, east of the Mississippi River between Lake Bemidji and Lake Irving. Participants will then return via the rail trail to the Beltrami County History Center. Elaine Fleming, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe elder, activist and former Cass Lake mayor, will offer a public program about Shaynowishkung's life, legacy and importance. Fleming is a founding member of the Bemidji Truth and Reconciliation group and has been an influential voice in place-name restoration, Indigenous language revitalization and community healing. The history center welcomes all to the free event. Refreshments will be served at the history center following the program. A limited number of wheelchairs will be available. Additionally, a shuttle bus ride from the history center to the program and back will be available for those at the center before the load time at 9:45 a.m. Those who need to reserve a wheelchair can send an email to depot@ or call (218) 444-3376. For more information on the event or other summertime history center events, visit
