Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians
Waganakising Odawa Wúḱúnúkísínḱ Oťúwú | |
|---|---|
| File:Flag of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.PNG 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, and its current Chief is Makoganzh.
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
Tribal Council
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 (currently Makoganzh); 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.
National Politics
In the Council of Chiefs, the TO is represented by its Chief, Makoganzh. In the Political Council, the TO is represented by 10 delegates; 7 of them, a majority, are members of the Odawa Leadership Bloc.