Ponemah (Ojibwe language Obaashiing) is a census-designated place (CDP) within the Lower Red Lake unorganized territory in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ponemah had a population of 599.
History
Though its name in the Ojibwe language is "Obaashiing" meaning "At the narrows", "Ponemah" is derived from another Ojibwe word baanimaa, meaning "later (on), after(wards)", as used in The Song of Hiawatha. Ponemah contained a government school for Ojibwe children. A post office called Ponemah has been in operation since 1901.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census, the CDP has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the census
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
! Republican
! Democratic
! Third parties
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2020
| style="text-align:center;" |2.4% 10
| style="text-align:center;" |96.1% 398
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% 6
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2016
| style="text-align:center;" |0.6% 2
| style="text-align:center;" |90.3% 289
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.1% 31
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2012
| style="text-align:center;" |0.3% 1
| style="text-align:center;" |99.2% 385
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% 3
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2008
| style="text-align:center;" |5.5% 20
| style="text-align:center;" |93.7% 342
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.8% 3
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2004
| style="text-align:center;" |5.5% 22
| style="text-align:center;" |94.5% 379
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.0% 0
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2000
| style="text-align:center;" |11.4% 33
| style="text-align:center;" |79.6% 230
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.0% 59
|}
Education
It is in the Red Lake School District, which operates Ponemah Elementary School (K-8), and Red Lake Secondary Complex (formerly Red Lake High School).