Welcome

Boozhoo, and welcome to website of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. We are a federally recognized Indian tribe whose members have lived for generations on the 1855 Mille Lacs Reservation and throughout east central Minnesota from Mille Lacs Lake east to the St. Croix River and north to Rice Lake and Sandy Lake. Please explore the links below to learn more about us, our communities, our culture and our businesses.

“American Indian nations have been recognized as sovereigns since before the formation of the United States. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, a federally recognized Indian tribe, has a rich history and culture that dates back to a time before Minnesota became a state. As the Band’s democratically elected Chief Executive, and on behalf of our more than 4,300 member citizens and more than 4,000 employees, I take great pride in presenting the story of our long and proud history. In the mid-1700s, the ancestors of today’s Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe settled near Lake Mille Lacs in what is now Central Minnesota and established a way of life that the Band continues to preserve. The Ojibwe hunted, fished, gathered wild rice, and taught their children a profound respect for nature. They endured hardship and poverty in the face of pressures from the non-Indian culture, but they worked hard and dreamed of a better future.”

— Melanie Benjamin,  Chief Executive