| Summary: | Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians PO Box 900 http://tmbci.lckbold.com/ Highway 5 West Belcourt, ND 58316 701-477-2600 Demographics �Tribal enrollment � Population (All Races) � Population (Indian) 32,036 (Turtle Mountain Enrollment Office 2015) 8,656 (Census 2010) 8,320 (Census 2010) The Turtle Mountain Reservation lies entirely in Rolette County in the extreme north-central portion of North Dakota, about seven miles from the Canadian border and near the exact geographic center of the North American continent.The reservation is almost equally divided between tribally owned and individually allotted lands.The terrain ranges in elevation from 200 to 2,300 feet above sea level and is dotted with lakes, rolling hills, and a relative abundance of trees. The unincorporated town of Belcourt is the only community on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Near the reservation are the towns of Rolla, Rolette, Dunseith, and St. John. The reservation was established by the Executive Orders of December 21, 1882, and March 29,1884, on an area of 72,000 acres of land. The 72,000 acres proved to be inadequate for the population of the reservation. Consequently, the U.S. government, as specified in an 1892 Treaty Agreement, provided public domain land in western North Dakota and eastern Montana consisting of approximately 69,860 acres. The land was available to Turtle Mountain Chippewa who were willing to relocate and homestead in that area.The treaty agreement assured services would be provided to the relocated membership as if they resided on reservation land. The Turtle Mountain Tribe's governing body, the Tribal Council, consists of a chairman and eight members elected to two-year terms.The chairman is elected at large by the general membership; the vice-chairman is elected by the eight council members at the first meeting of each newly elected council. The tribal government is organized according to a 1959 constitution and bylaws. In 1976, the tribe adopted a Tribal Code, covering criminal and civil law. An elected board of directors, consisting of a chairperson and six representatives, now governs the Trenton Indian Service Area (TISA). Election of directors is held every four years, and terms are staggered. TISA has been divided into three districts (Williston,Trenton, and Montana), with two representatives from each district. The Chippewa proudly referred to themselves as Anishinabe, meaning "The Original People." The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa is primarily a member of the Pembina Band of Chippewa. Ancestry may include intermarriage with other Chapter Seven - Tribal-State Relationships 439
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