Fond du Lac Indian Reservation

The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation (or Nah-Gah-Chi-Wa-Nong (Nagaajiwanaang in the Double Vowel orthography), meaning “Where the current is blocked” in the Ojibwe language) is an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota near Cloquet in Carlton and St. Louis counties, with off-reservation holdings in Douglas County in Wisconsin. The total land area of these tribal lands is 153.8375 sq mi (398.437 km²). It is the land-base for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Before the establishment of this reservation, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa were located at the head of Lake Superior, closer to the mouth of the St. Louis River.

The tribe ceded land as part of an 1837 treaty along with other Ojibwa bands, located mainly from east-central Minnesota to north-central Wisconsin. Later, along with other Ojibwa tribes, the Fond du Lac Band ceded large tracts of land located mainly in the Lake Superior watershed in Wisconsin and western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as part of a treaty in 1842. In addition, the tribe ceded land as part of an 1854 treaty with the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa (largely situated along the northern shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota). With this treaty, the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation was established farther up the St. Louis River at its present location. The original Nagaajiwanaang Reservation was 1.25 times the current size. However, the treaty discussions clearly promised the inclusion of the Perch and Big Lakes but the original reservation did not, but instead extended westward to the western boundaries of the 1854 Ceded Territory. With an appeal, the Reservation was extended southward to include the two said lakes, but as a concession, the western boundaries were shortened eastward to its present location.

Source: wikipedia