Leech Lake Reservation Cass Lake, MN

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Community Info Sheet

Population: Leech Lake Reservation: 10,660 Cass Lake: 653 Enrolled Tribal Members: 9,509

Things Leech Lake is known for: Cass Lake is a small town located within the boundaries of the Leech Lake reservation. Cass Lake borders the Chippewa National Forrest located in the heart of northern Minnesota. The Chippewa National forest was established in 1908 and covers 66,623 acres of land.

History of YouthWorks in Leech Lake: Youth Works has been serving on the Leech Lake Reservation since 2003. We have been housed at Bena High School and Middle school for many of the 16 years we have been serving in Leech Lake. We have developed a great partnership with local community members to learn how we can respectfully serve the community of Cass Lake. Cass Lake Census Stats: History of the Leech Lake Reservation: The Leech Lake Reservation has the highest population of all Race: Minnesota Reservations, but the smallest amount of land. • Native American 61.7%, • Because the Chippewa National Forest takes up a large White 22.8%, 9.8% of people in Cass Lake speak a non- English portion of the reservation, the tribe only owns 5% of the language total land. Additionally, over one fourth of the reservation land is covered by lakes. Persons living below poverty line: 34.2% Median household income: $32,841 The Ojibwe people experienced dramatic land loss when the US government allotted the reservation land to individual families. The best allotments of the land were reserved for farming or logging. This profitable land was subjected to fraud, sale, and theft – leaving only a checker board portion of the land for the Ojibwe people to use. The Chippewa National Forest was created in 1908 to curb the effects of the logging industry, but this came a little too late. Over 95% of the original red and white pine trees in the area had been already cleared. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe continues to fight for hunting, fishing, and wild ricing rights on their land as well as the promised protection, legal assistance, education, health care, etc. from the treaties signed with the US government.

Issues in Cass Lake: While you are in Cass Lake, you will experience many community issues. One of the more prevalent issues is Poverty. 34.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cass Lake, MN (223 out of 653 people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 14%. The largest demographic living in poverty is Female ages 35-44, followed by Male ages 6-11 and then Female ages 6-11. Another prevalent issue is the tension of race. The reservation was set aside for the Leech Lake Band and there are several white families and white towns on the reservation. It is important to help Adult Leaders and participants understand the history of the area and why there are so many white people living on the reservation.

Why is YouthWorks in Cass Lake: In north-central Minnesota lies the town of Cass Lake, located on the Leech Lake reservation. This reservation is home to the Leech Lake band of Ojibwe. Cass Lake is an interesting mixture of typical reservation life coexisting alongside the mainstream tourism industry in the summer months visiting the lakes and local resorts. For this

Community Info Sheet reason, a lot of non-Native people live in the town of Cass Lake producing a segregated feel between the white- majority and Native communities.

To bridge this gap of division, YouthWorks hopes to help bring Helpful information: understanding to participants regarding the culture and lifestyle of different people groups. Kid's Club provides a safe, fun, and Ojibwe, Ojibwa, and Chippewa all mean the same constructive outlet for local community children to stay busy thing! The 3 spellings account for the phonetic spellings of the different dialects that throughout the summer. Work projects help to provide minor encountered the tribe. Most Ojibwe refer to home repairs for residents who are unable to physically or themselves as the Anishinabe, meaning “the financially complete these projects on their own. This community people” is also a great introduction to Objibwe culture and a good place to teach youth about the history about Native Americans and begin conversations regarding poverty, and the present and historical realities of life for indigenous people in the United States.

History of YouthWorks in Cass Lake YouthWorks serves in the town of Cass Lake on the Leech Lake Reservation. YouthWorks has been in Cass Lake since 2003. We have built great relationships with the school, Trinity Lutheran Church, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Positive Opportunities & Why Serving Matters • Relationships—Kids in general thrive having one-on- one attention from people who care about them & listen to them. Senior citizens that youth meet have a chance to share their knowledge & life stories or dance and laugh. In all cases, knowing groups have come to Cass Lake to meet them is so important in helping individuals see they have value. • Encouragement & Support—many of our service partners have been working in Cass Lake for years. Outsiders bring fresh energy, willing hands, and the chance to build relationships. • Breakdown Stereotypes: Many youth (and you!) coming to Cass Lake may be thrown into the mix of a truly diverse culture for the first time. Living in Cass Lake you will see, hear, smell and taste new things. This is an amazing time to help them see the beauty of diversity and different culture, to form new paradigms, and to become educated about issues they may not have even known about. • Changing Perspective—Everyone has their own perceptions of community issues. During the week, you will have the chance to share what you’ve been learning about the neighborhood, talk about the incredible things you see happening in Cass Lake, and be a part of the on-going growth God has for their lives.