Minnesota tribe holding celebration for the return of nearly 12,000 acres of land

LEECH LAKE, Minn. — A Native American tribe in northern Minnesota will be celebrating with state leaders Wednesday the return of nearly 12,000 acres of land.

In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that 11,778 acres of Chippewa National Forest land would be transferred back to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

The move was part of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act signed into law in 2020, which reverses a land seizure by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1940s.

The tribe is holding a commemorative ceremony at 1 p.m. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Betty McCollum will be in attendance. Smith, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, was a sponsor of the restoration act.

When the return of land was announced, Leech Lake Band Chairman Faron Jackson Sr. hailed the historic restoration.

"This is one of the most monumental and positive developments to take place on Leech Lake since the first treaties were signed and the reservation was established in 1855," Jackson said.

The restored lands will help the band invest in future generations with economic and residential development.