Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians
Waganakising Odawa Wúḱúnúkísínḱ Oťúwú | |
|---|---|
 Tribal Flag | |
| Total population | |
| ~120,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Lower Peninsula, Aasamisag | |
| Languages | |
| Anishinaabe (Odawa dialect) |
The Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians (Anishinaabe: Waganakising Odawa; Ozhibii'igan: Wúḱúnúkísínḱ Oťúwú), abbreviated as "TO", is one of the 19 member tribes of the confederation of Aasamisag. Most of its members and landholdings are located at the north-west point of the Lower Peninsula. Its capital is located at Waganagisi.
Location
Like all tribes, the TO does exercise sovereignty over a set area of land; rather, it exercises sovereignty over its citizens. However, the TO does hold a large area of land as commonly-owned property; this "commonhold" land is home to most TO citizens. TO commonhold land is mostly located in and around Waganagisi.
Politics
The TO is governed, like most other tribes, by a Tribal Council. The Tribal Council does not have a set number of members; rather, applicants can request membership after fulfilling certain requirements (age >40, professional achievement, endorsement of at least 5% of adult citizens), after which the Tribal Council can approve their membership or provide a reason why the applicant is ineligible. The Tribal Council is presided by a Chief; the Chief is the TO's chief executive, and represents the TO in the national Council of Chiefs. The Chief is elected by the Tribal Council for a single, non-renewable 10-year term.