Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

To get started in American Indian Research

Tribal Headquarters
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa 523 Ashmun St. Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 Phone:11.906.635.6050 Fax: 1.906.632.4959


 * Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Official Website

Non Federal
In response to the 10,000s of Chippewas commencing an exodus to the west from southern Michigan and Ohio, the government of the United States agreed to create a Chippewa Reservation which covered the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They thought it would stop the migration.

During some point in the late 19th century, the government of the United States refused to honor the March 28, 1836 treaty. Leaders from the Sault Tribe refused to cede their Reservation. The government of the United States then went so far as to not recognize the Sault Tribe of Chippewas of Michigan which means the March 28, 1836 treaty is legitimate.

In 1972, the government of the United States resumed federal recognition of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan. However, they did not recognize the vast Reservation created for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan. That must be accomplished if the March 28, 1836 treaty is to be honored. Below is a link to the news article about the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan being a Chippewa Reservation.

Brief Timeline
1492:

Before the onslaught of the white invasion, the Chippewas had migrated from the east to the eastern shores of Lake Superior. Exactly when this event happened is unknown. Just before the whites invaded, the Chippewas were already living where Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario are located. It was from that location which is called by the Chippewas Ba-wi-tig, that either a land distribution happened or another unknown event, led to the dispersal of the Chippewas in three directions. One group went south into the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. They are known by several names including Illini, Mami, Potawatomi, Sac, Saginaw, Sauk, and Swan Creek and Black River Chippewas. Sac and Sauk, are short for Saginaw. The Fox Tribe is not Algonquian according to William W. Warrens 19th century book "History of the Ojibway People." Another group went north into northern Ontario. They are the Chipewyan and Cree. According to the 1832 Edinburgh Encyclopedia, the Athabascan People or Dene People including the Apache, Chipewyan, and Navajo, are Algonquian or speak Algonquin. Click books.google.com/books this link to read the Edinburgh Encyclopdia.

And the other group is the Sault (pronounced as Sioux or Soo) Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan. They colonized the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Among them are the Ottawa or Odawa. However, the Ottawa People are really Chippewas who absorbed many non Chippewas. The Sault Tribe also colonized the northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. They are slightly different than the more southerly Chippewas who are the Illini, Miami, Potawatomi, Sac, Saginaw, Sauk, and Swan Creek and Black River Chippewas. Many of the southerly Chippewas absorbed many non Chippewas among their populations.

1530:

They are commencing a war against the white invaders to the east. Early in the 16th century, the Dutch and French invaded the region between Quebec City and Albany, New York. The Chippewas drove them out and also drove the Indian allies of the whites out.

1629:

White soldiers and their Indian allies launched a massive military campaign against the Chippewas and other Indian Tribes, from Quebec, eastern Ontario, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and even the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Large numbers of Chippewas and other Indian Tribes, were driven west of Lake Michigan. From the Montana region, 10,000s of Chippewa soldiers reinforced the Chippewa refugees in northern Wisconsin. By the 1650s, the massive military campaign of the whites and their Indian allies, was crumbling. More Chippewa reinforcements from the Montana region, increased the number of Chippewa soldiers from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico including Florida.

1661:

Around this time the Amikwa Chippewas who lived between the eastern shores of Lake Superior, northern shores of Lake Huron, to the Lake Nipissing region in Ontario, were driven west. They settled along the northern shores of Lake Superior. By the 1670s, many had returned to their original homeland but many followed prophecy and migrated west into Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California. The Amikwa are also known as the Nez Perce. Amikwa means Beavers in Chippewa. The Beaver Tribe including the Sekani, of British Columbia are Amikwa Chippewas.

1700:

By 1700, the Chippewas of the Lake Superior region had halted the advance of the white invaders. They had actually halted the advance of the white invaders and their Indian allies, during the 1670s. King Phillips War may have been an attempt by the Chippewas to drive the whites out of North America. Anyway, by 1700, Chippewa soldiers were preventing the whites from advancing further to the west and north.

1754-1765:

A long war was fought during these years between Chippewa soldiers and the white invaders. Chippewa soldiers were yet strong enough to halt the westward advance of the white invaders.

1774-1795:

Another long war was fought between Chippewa soldiers and the white invaders. By this time many Chippewas, especially to the south, were tired of fighting. The more southerly Chippewas had absorbed many non Chippewa Indians and they were prone to accept peace or stay nuetral. Land cessions commenced with the 1795 Greeneville Treaty.

1805-1815:

More corrupt land cessions followed, then the War of 1812. After the War of 1812, the Chippewas of Michigan commenced to cede land and Reservations were created for them. However, the United States refused to honor treaty.

1835-1836:

During these two years an event happened in Michigan and Ohio which led to a large Chippewa Exodus from the Michigan and Ohio region, to the west. That be to the Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma region. The Toledo War is very suspicious. Although it was a war without deaths, it has been classified as a war. Through treaty agreement, the United States created a large Chippewa Reservation for the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan. They claim Michigan was given 3/4 quarters of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in exchange for a narrow strip of land claimed by both Michigan and Ohio called the Toledo Strip. It covered 468 sq. mi. It was given to Ohio.

In 1893, a newstory went nationwide which told readers that the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan was Chippewa land or a Chippewa Reservation. The Toledo War is the link (proof) that in fact the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Indians Reservation. Click this cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc link to read the March 28, 1893 article.

Reservations
As mentioned, the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan is reportedly a Chippewa Reservation. However, the government of the United States will not honor treaty. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan today, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewas have several small Reservations which are recognized by the government of the United States. They include:


 * 1) Bay Mills Indian Community (2010 population is 752 but 852 when including mixed bloods)

Important Web Sites

 * Constitution and By-laws of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, adopted in 1975; included in Tribal Code that includes updates through 2001.
 * Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Official Website
 * Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Wikipedia