16429 Beartown Rd
Baraga, MI 49908
906-353-6623
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community or the KBIC is a federally recognized Native American Tribe that is granted the sovereignty of a real nation. The tribe was established in the year 1936 by the United States Government. Being a sovereign nation, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has its own constitution that was approved and ratified by the federal government. The community also has its own set of ruing bodies that are in charge of keeping the operations of the tribe intact. The primary operation of the tribe is centered in the heart of Beartown Road Baraga, MI. Their Tribal Center is situated in the area for easy access by the ruling bodies. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is settled in the Baraga County. The community has its Tribal Council whose members are tasked of keeping up the welfare of the community. The Tribal Council's elected officers have a term service of not less than three years. Within three years, the elected members of the council must prove to be worthy of the general council's votes. An annual Tribal election is held in December. The reorganization of the Tribal Council, on the other hand, takes place the month after which is January. There is not less than one third of the council who is up for the election every year vying for some of the most coveted seats in the Council. Aside from the Tribal Council itself the officers have likewise created special committees who are given the task of overseeing the elements which are relevant to the life of the community members. The Keweenaw Bay Reservation was the aftermath of the Treaty of 1854 which was between the United States Government and the Indigenous Ojibwa or Chippewa people of the Lake Superior Michigan. The treaty is only one of the many other treaties that somehow affected the lives of the tribal people. There are tow other treaties, namely the Treaty of 1836 and the Treaty of 1842 which ceded the lands of the tribe in the Northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lands were surrendered to the government while some of it was sold at relatively cheaper prices. The defeated tribal people did not give up and urged a fight to the reacquisition of their lost lands. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is admittedly one of the many tribes who are experiencing poverty. Despite the poverty as a hindrance, the tribe has shown tremendwous efforts for the improvement of their lives. With leaders whose hearts are for service, the tribe has managed to sustain the health care services as well as projects which are for the betterment of education and housing facilities. There have also been recreational areas built for the tribal members.
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