 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Demographics
The Spirit Lake Nation, Fort Totten, North Dakota, is part of the Sisseton-Wahpeton band of Mississippi or Northern Dakotah. This group originally lived in Minnesota, but the 1862 uprising forced the band to relocate. The reservation was established by treaty in 1867. By 1871, 732 Native Americans lived on the reservation and were being taught farming skills. Fort Totten was converted into a Native American industrial school from 1893 to 1905. The federal government opened the reservation land to homesteading, where about 100,000 acres were occupied by white settlers.
The total land base of Spirit Lake Nation is about 245,000 acres. Today, Spirit Lake Nation is a combination of tribal and non-tribal land. Tribal lands total about 78,000 acres, where the remaining 167,000 acres is federal, state, and private land.
The Spirit Lake Nation is located in north-central North Dakota within Benson, Ramsey, Eddy, and Nelson Counties. The reservation is bounded to the north by Devils Lake and to the south by the Sheyenne River.
The communities within Spirit Lake Nation include St. Michael, Fort Totten, Crow Hill, Tokio, Warwick, and Oberon. Each community has a small grocery store and post office. The city of Devils Lake, North Dakota serves as the primary shopping site for reservation residents.
Government
A six-member Tribal Council governs Spirit Lake Nation pursuant to the adopted Constitutionand by-laws. The Tribal Council is comprised of a Chairperson, a Secretary-Treasurer, and four district representatives. The Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer are elected by a reservation-wide vote, whereas each district representative is elected by his/her district. St. Michael, Fort Totten, Crow Hill, and Tokio represent the four districts on Spirit Lake Nation. The four district representatives vote on all issues, however, the Chairperson will only vote in the event of a tie. The Secretary-Treasurer is a non-voting member of the Tribal Council.
Click here to see a list of the current Tribal Council members.