Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Seal of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 3,985 enrolled members | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Michigan) |
|
| Languages | |
| Ojibwe (Ottawa dialect) , English | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ojibwe, Potawatomi and other Algonquian peoples |
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is a federally recognized Native American tribe located in northwest Michigan. Sam McClellan is the current tribal chairman, elected in June 2016 to a second four-year term after succeeding Derek Bailey, who served from 2008–2012. The tribal offices are in Peshawbestown, Michigan. As of June 2016[update], the current GTB Tribal Council is: Chairman Sam McClellan, Vice-Chair Kimberly Vargo, Secretary Jane Rohl, Treasurer David Arroyo, Councilor Frank Wilson, Councilor Mark L. Wilson, and Councilor Percy Bird, Jr. The tribe owns and operates the Leelanau Sands Casino, the Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel, and the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.
It is one of three federally recognized tribes of Odawa peoples in Michigan. The others are the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, both recognized in 1994.
Referring to themselves as Anishinaabeg or Three Fires Confederacy, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians includes members of the Odaawaa/Odawa (Ottawa), the Ojibwe (Ojibwa/Chippewa) and Boodewaadami/Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi) peoples. They were historically part of the confederacy.
Under the Indian Reorganization Act, they applied for federal recognition in 1934 and 1943 and were denied. However, in 1978 Dodie Harris Chambers led an effort for recognition and on May 27, 1980, the tribe was formally recognized. The Grand Traverse Band is the first federally recognized tribe of Odawa in Michigan. They were one of the first tribes in the United States to own a casino, under new gaming laws passed in the 1980s.
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