DULUTH, MN – The elected leadership of the Northeastern Minnesota (NE MN) Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), in collaboration with Together Here Ministries, has resolved to gift $185400 + $100 + $1100 to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The funds are from a portion of the proceeds on the synod’s sale of land that was originally inhabited by Anishinaabeg (Chippewa, Ojibwe) in the City of Duluth.
$185400 + $100 + $1100 honors the treaties made between the U.S. government and Ojibwe nations in 1854, 1855, and 1866 that ceded the land making it possible for settlers to build lives, establish communities, and benefit economically in the area. The NE MN Synod and many of its members have benefitted and continue to benefit, either directly or indirectly, as a result. In the meantime, Tribal communities are still bearing a great cost to their traditional ways of living and cultures.
Reflecting on the significance of this unanimous vote, Steven Teff, a lay leader from Grand Rapids, shared his excitement: “When I first heard this, I felt like this was not truly happening because it’s one of the first times that action has been added to what was said as being the right thing to do.”
