The Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC; Ojibwe: Gnoozhekaaning, code: oj, meaning "Place of the Pike") is a reservation that serves as the land area for one of the federally recognized Sault Ste. Marie bands of Ojibwe.

The largest part of the reservation is in Chippewa County, Michigan, about 15 miles (25 km) west-southwest of Sault Ste. Marie. The tribe's land is located in both Bay Mills and Superior townships. A smaller section is southeast of Sault Ste. Marie and includes Sugar Island, which is entirely within Sugar Island Township.

History

The Ojibwe are a large group of people who belong to many different bands. They have lived in the area around the Great Lakes, especially near Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, for many years. Today, their lands are split between Canada and the United States.

In the past, many Ojibwe bands lived near the cities of Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan and Ontario. The city was built along the St. Mary's River during the colonial period. It began as a French and later a British fur trading post. Over time, a community formed around the post, including people from Native American tribes, Métis people, and French and British settlers. In the 1800s, Ojibwe bands in Michigan were forced to give up large areas of land to the United States. Many bands became without land, but they continued to preserve their cultural traditions.

The Bay Mills people are Ojibwe who have lived for hundreds of years near Whitefish Bay, the falls of the St. Marys River, and the bluffs overlooking Tahquamenon Bay. These areas are on Lake Superior, southwest of Sault Ste. Marie. The Bay Mills Indian Community was officially created by a law passed by Congress on June 19, 1860.

After the federal Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934, during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, the Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC) created a new government based on a written constitution. This was adopted on November 27, 1937, and approved by the federal government. The government purchased land for the community to use as a reservation. This land became one of four reservations in Michigan established under the 1934 act. The reservation includes areas such as the original Bay Mills Mission and a small part of Sugar Island, which the Ojibwe have lived on since the late 1700s.

In 1966, BMIC was one of four founding members of the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan. This group was created to help tribes share information and improve relationships with state and federal governments. The other founding members were the Keweenaw Potawatomie Indian Community, Hannahville Indian Community, and Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Today, the council represents 11 of the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan.

In May 2021, the Kateri Tekakwitha church in Bay Mills, Michigan, was destroyed by fire. This was the second time the same church had been burned. The church was built in honor of Kateri Tekakwitha.

Reservation

The land within the reservation boundaries is owned by the U.S. government and is split into two parts. According to the 2000 census, most of the land, 3.761 square miles (9.74 km²), is located northwest of Brimley, Michigan, in the eastern sections of Bay Mills and Superior townships. The remaining 1.032 square miles (2.674 km² or 660.67 acres) is on Sugar Island in the St. Marys River, southeast of Sault Ste. Marie, and within U.S. borders. At the time of the tribe’s organization in 1937, the total land area was 4.793 square miles (12.41 km²), where 812 people lived.

Since the late 20th century, the tribe has purchased more land. Today, the tribe’s land area is about 3,494 acres (5.46 square miles or 14.14 km²). Of this, 3,109 acres (4.86 square miles or 12.58 km²) is held in trust by the federal government.

Government

The BMIC has about 1,309 members. It is led by the General Tribal Council, which includes all voting-age members of the tribe. The Executive Council, made up of five elected officials (president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and councilperson), makes daily decisions.

The tribe operates Bay Mills Community College, an accredited tribal college, and Bay Mills Resort & Casino.

Environment

The Biological Services Department works to improve, protect, and restore fish, wildlife, plants, and water sources. Staff conduct research and monitor the environment on tribal trust lands and nearby areas. Key programs include assessing fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes and inland areas, managing forests, controlling invasive species, monitoring beach health, testing water quality, and recycling to reduce harmful chemicals in the environment. The department also shares information with the public through events and printed materials.

The Bay Mills Biological Services Department helps stop harmful chemicals from entering the environment by supporting recycling and waste collection. [1]

Clean water is important to the Bay Mills Indian Community. The Clean Water Act allows the EPA to help tribes protect water on and near their lands. The EPA gave the Bay Mills Indian Community of Michigan a grant of $124,400 to carry out water resource and non-point source programs. This funding helps the tribe continue efforts to control water pollution, monitor water quality, and educate the community about water protection.

Economy

In the mid-1990s, after changes in state and national laws allowed gaming casinos on tribal reservations, the Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC) began working with Michael J. Malik, Sr., a casino business partner, and Marian Ilitch, a Detroit businesswoman, to develop a casino. The tribe aimed to create jobs and generate revenue to support education and welfare programs for tribal members. Malik and his partners first proposed building a casino in Downtown Detroit’s Foxtown area with Harrah’s, a casino company. However, in 1996, Michigan voters narrowly approved a ballot measure that would have allowed three larger commercial casinos in Detroit, which would have created too much competition.

For nearly a decade, BMIC and its partners worked to resolve land disputes in the Hay Lake/Charlotte Beach area on Michigan’s northern peninsula. They believed the federal government had not provided fair compensation for lands the tribe was forced to give up in the 19th century. BMIC hoped to trade these lands for more profitable casino sites near populated areas, such as Port Huron. BMIC representatives discussed this proposal during congressional hearings in 2004.

In 2001, voters in Port Huron approved a plan for the Bay Mills casino. Agreements were signed by Michigan’s governor and approved by the state legislature, but the project faced delays in Congress. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10th) introduced a bill, HR 831, to support the project, and Senator Debbie Stabenow had previously introduced a similar bill, S.2986.

Later, BMIC received approval for a land deal in Brimley, Michigan, on Waiska Bay near Sault Ste. Marie. The Bay Mills Resort & Casino includes 17,000 square feet of gaming space with 695 slot machines and 13 table games, three restaurants, and a 144-room hotel.

Law

After Michigan made it legal to use and sell marijuana for recreational purposes, the Bay Mills Indian Community supported this decision. They officially created a rule on April 8, 2019, that allows people to grow, possess, and use marijuana. This made the Bay Mills Indian Community the first tribe in Michigan to allow the recreational use of marijuana on their reservation. Under their law, tribal members who were previously convicted in tribal court for marijuana-related offenses can request that those convictions be removed.