Building a Platform for Tribally Driven Research at UMD

Building Treaty-Grounded Research Partnerships

Until the 1854 Treaty, the northeast region of Minnesota was subject to the exclusive governance and jurisdiction of the Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage bands of Ojibwe. The negotiation, signing and ratification of the treaty established a shared governance arrangement, layering U.S. jurisdiction across the region. The region was included in the state of Minnesota when it was subsequently created. If it weren’t for the 1854 Treaty, Duluth and the entire “arrowhead” region of northeast Minnesota would not be part of the United States, and the University of Minnesota Duluth simply would not and could not exist. 

A vital way that the University can adhere to its treaty obligations is by making its research capacity readily available for Tribally directed programs and projects.

This project aims to deeply and broadly strengthen faculty understanding of Native Nations and to foster research co-creation between University faculty and the three neighboring Tribal Nations by developing a platform to increase Tribally-driven research.

Project Goals

• Develop a framework for enhancing existing relationships and forging new relationships between University researchers and Tribal leadership and staff
• Create a collaboratively developed training curriculum and implementation plan to build knowledge and awareness among University faculty regarding Tribal sovereignty, American Indian governance, Ojibwe history and culture, Indigenous data sovereignty and effective engagement strategies
• Build a platform for initiating and sustaining Tribally-directed research partnerships and projects
• Follow-up with funding proposals to pilot the training program, sustain it and expand its scope