Red Lake Constitutional Reform Informational Meetings Set

After one or two postponements, The Red Lake Constitution Reform Initiative Committee is asking all Red Lake enrolled Citizens and immediate family of enrolled Citizens in the Bemidji area to join in participating in discussions regarding issues that affect the Nation's language, culture, land and natural resources.

The meeting is scheduled for the American Indian Resource Center on campus at Bemidji State University on Monday, April 14, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.

The Constitution Reform Initiative Committee wants to hear from members of each community in order to ensure that the drafting of a New Red Lake Constitution accurately reflects the voice of the Red Lake Nation.

Please come prepared to discuss issues relating to Land & Natural Resources, and Ojibwe Language & Culture!

Dinner will be served!

Learn more at the following links:

Http://redlakenationconstitution.com

https://www.facebook.com/redlakeconstitutionreform

Background

The Bush Foundation has approved a grant of $1,542,700 to Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians to support constitutional reform outreach, education and meetings.

Over the past two years, the Tribe has been working closely with Native Nations Institute and the Bush Foundation to begin constitutional reform dialogue with the tribal leadership of the Red Lake Nation. Through several facilitated meetings and seminars, the Tribal Council recognized that the current constitution needed revisions, and in some ways had outgrown it. It was agreed that the document was a major roadblock to successful self-determination and effective governing due to many factors, but needed assistance with determining a way to address the constitution.

In order to begin the process, a Constitutional Reform Initiative Committee (CRI) was formed and participants appointed.

The Red Lake Constitutional Reform Initiative's ("CRI") goal is to revise the tribe's current constitution to reflect who the people of Red Lake are as citizens, with the Ojibwe culture, language, customs, and collective priorities at the forefront of the way they govern themselves. The Initiative's purpose is to identify these collective priorities and transfer them into the Tribe's main governing document.

Community outreach, education, and engagement will be critical to the success of this Initiative, since it will be the tribal membership ultimately determining if the new and revised Red Lake tribal constitution will be adopted.