The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe () is one of six federally recognized bands of Ojibwe people in present-day Wisconsin. It had 7,275 enrolled members as of 2010.

The Lac Courte Oreille ceded land under a treaty they signed with the United States in 1837, the 1842 Treaty of La Pointe, and the first 1854 Treaty of La Pointe. The tribal reservation has a land area of , including the trust lands

Reservation demographics

As of the census of 2020, the combined population of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation and off-reservation trust land was 2,968. The population density was . There were 2,102 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the reservation and off-reservation trust land was 72.3% Native American, 21.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.7% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the American Community Survey estimates for 2016-2020, the median income for a household (including the reservation and off-reservation trust land) was $33,590, and the median income for a family was $49,706. Male full-time workers had a median income of $30,801 versus $28,974 for female workers. The per capita income was $19,251. About 27.5% of families and 33.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.4% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 90.0% were high school graduates or higher and 15.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

Government and economy

The band is federally recognized as a tribe and has its own elected government, consisting of a chairman and tribal council. Members are elected from enrolled members of the tribe and elected to serve four-year terms with elections staggered every two years.

It owns and operates a tribal college, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, located in Hayward. The Tribe owns and operates the Sevenwinds Casino, to generate revenue for its people's welfare. It also operates a community radio station, WOJB-FM.

The reservation hosts an "Honor the Earth" Pow Wow every summer. Rock drummer Mickey Hart's recording of some of the performers, Honor The Earth Powwow--Songs Of The Great Lake Indians, became a minor national hit in 1991.

History

The Anishinaabe, part of the Algonquian languages family of peoples originating along the Atlantic Coast, migrated west and have lived in what is now northern Wisconsin for a long time. Following the Seven Fires Prophecy, Anishinaabe leaders ordered their warriors to expand to the west after they learned that the people mentioned in the prophecy had invaded in the East. They also sent their soldiers as far east as Maine and as far south as Florida, to defend Indian land from the white invaders. According to Native American historian William W. Warren, Anishinaabe people were living in northern Wisconsin before 1492 and the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean area.

The Dakota Indians referred to the Anishinaabe as the Ra-ra-to-oans, which means "People of the Falls." The French adopted the name. <!-- Using what transliteration? -->

In the 17th century, "The arrival of French fur traders to the area provided the Chippewa with a market for their hunting skills, and in exchange, the Chippewa received guns, knives, cloth, liquor, and other manufactured goods. The acquisition of these products changed their lives and disturbed the nomadic nature of their patterns of existence. The French fur traders were readily accepted by the Chippewa because of the way they embraced the Chippewa culture. They learned the language and married Chippewa women."

During 1661-62, the French fur traders Radisson and Groseilliers journeyed four days from Madeline Island to a Huron Indian village, believed to be near the present village of Reserve on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation. The French received permission to use the Indian lands for passage.

  • Jim Denomie, visual artist
  • Nenaa'angebi (Beautifying Bird), twin son of Ozaawindib, and a prominent leader of the Ojibwe in the 19th century
  • Ozaawindib (O-za-win-dib, also known as Yellow Head) was an 18th-century Ojibwa chief of the Prairie Rice Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Originally located near Rice Lake, Wisconsin, the band consolidated with the Lac Courte Oreilles Band. He was of the Niibinaabe-doodem (Merman Clan). He fought in the Battle of Prairie Rice Lake in 1798. He and Wolf's Father were killed by a Dakota raider while they were hunting at the mouth of Hay River.
  • Chief Zhaagobe (Six), twin son of Ozaawindib and also a chief of the Ojibwe in this area in the 19th century.

See also

  • Waadookodaading

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References

  • Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Wisconsin, United States Census Bureau
  • "Lac Courte Oreilles", Tribal government website
  • Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Schools, Official website
  • LCO Casino website
  • Honor the Earth Pow Wow, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Schools], Official website
  • Lac Courte Oreilles Times, LCO-owned and operated, community Newspaper