Post by blackcrowheart on Feb 14, 2008 14:53:55 GMT -5
Tribe keeps name the same
By MARK RANZENBERGER
Sun Staff Writer
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe has gone back to calling itself the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.
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The Tribe recently ended a brief experiment with calling itself the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation, according to Chief Fred Cantu. The (Tribal) Council felt that the Tribe, through its constitution, is named the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, Cantu said, and thats what we wanted to stick with.
The Tribes official name, since its organization during the 1930s under the Indian Reorganization Act, always has been the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. But earlier this year, the Tribe began to identify itself as the Tribal Nation, dropping the words Indian and of Michigan and emphasizing the word nation.
A public relations task force originally proposed the use of the term Tribal Nation as an alternative to the official name. Members said it emphasized the Tribes inherent sovereignty, pride in nationhood, and the fact that the Tribe is separate from the state of Michigan.
The Tribe began using the term Tribal Nation to identify itself in some press releases and announcements.
But some council members said using multiple names for the same organization could be confusing.
There was no change, Cantu said. We are a nation within a nation. That was the whole intent of the people who made the recommendation.
Cantu noted that many tribes use the term tribal nation to describe themselves. Among the most prominent are the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which runs the Foxwood Resort casino in Massachusetts, the 210,000-member Navajo Nation, the Cherokee Nation and the Choctaw Nation.
An official change in name for the Saginaw Chippewas would involve a constitutional amendment. Amending the Tribal constitution requires a so-called secretarial election, run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Cantu said there has been no discussion of doing that
By MARK RANZENBERGER
Sun Staff Writer
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe has gone back to calling itself the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.
Advertisement
The Tribe recently ended a brief experiment with calling itself the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation, according to Chief Fred Cantu. The (Tribal) Council felt that the Tribe, through its constitution, is named the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, Cantu said, and thats what we wanted to stick with.
The Tribes official name, since its organization during the 1930s under the Indian Reorganization Act, always has been the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. But earlier this year, the Tribe began to identify itself as the Tribal Nation, dropping the words Indian and of Michigan and emphasizing the word nation.
A public relations task force originally proposed the use of the term Tribal Nation as an alternative to the official name. Members said it emphasized the Tribes inherent sovereignty, pride in nationhood, and the fact that the Tribe is separate from the state of Michigan.
The Tribe began using the term Tribal Nation to identify itself in some press releases and announcements.
But some council members said using multiple names for the same organization could be confusing.
There was no change, Cantu said. We are a nation within a nation. That was the whole intent of the people who made the recommendation.
Cantu noted that many tribes use the term tribal nation to describe themselves. Among the most prominent are the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which runs the Foxwood Resort casino in Massachusetts, the 210,000-member Navajo Nation, the Cherokee Nation and the Choctaw Nation.
An official change in name for the Saginaw Chippewas would involve a constitutional amendment. Amending the Tribal constitution requires a so-called secretarial election, run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Cantu said there has been no discussion of doing that