144:. The old White Earth constitution lacked separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and contained numerous references to obtaining the permission of the secretary of the interior. Under Vizenor, White Earth was at the heart of a nationwide movement to rewrite tribal constitutions. In 2013, nearly 80% of White Earth voted to adopt the new constitution.
147:
Vizenor also called for the amendment of the constitution of the
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, starting as early as 2008. Her attempts at constitutional reform spurred several attempts to recall her via petition, including twice in 2010. In 2015, members of the governing board of the Minnesota Chippewa
135:
Vizenor announced her intentions to reform the White Earth tribal constitution in 2007. She was elected to a second term in 2008 and called for a constitutional convention. Among the changes she sought to implement was opening tribal citizenship to lineal descendants instead of the one-fourth
127:
In 1996, Vizenor was appointed as White Earth's secretary-treasurer. She was elected to the position the following year, serving in that role until 2002. She ran for tribal chair in 2004 against Chip Wadena. She was elected and became the first woman tribal chair of the
119:
to discuss the disperal of funds from the White Earth Land
Settlement Act (WELSA). The events led to Camp Justice, a reform movement that lasted five years and concluded with the felony convictions of two council members and of tribal chair
873:
155:. The novel is set in a dystopian future where reservations are diminished to sectors that serve the commercial interests of a totalitarian federal government. In 2016, she was named president of
115:, participating in a takeover of the tribal headquarters for which Vizenor and 28 others were arrested. Later that year, she and other White Earth representatives met with an agent of the
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Beginning in July 1991, Vizenor led protests against corruption within the tribal government. She and others protested kickbacks related to the then-proposed
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and means "the last standing woman". She was the first member of her family to complete high school, graduating from Park Rapids High School in 1964.
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for 20 years. She taught elementary students at Pine Point School, an alternative school. She also taught classes in Ojibwe language and culture.
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Tribe voted to censure her and removed her from the board. She resigned from her position as White Earth's tribal chair on
January 20, 2016.
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from 2004 to 2016. Under her leadership, White Earth adopted a new tribal constitution. She served as an educator in the
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Erma was married to Dallas
Vizenor (d. 1998). She is active within the Episcopal church and participates in
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Washburn, Kevin K.; Mitchell, Dalia Tsuk (2008). "Felix Cohen, Anti-Semitism and
American Indian Law".
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in 1968. She earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education at Moorhead, graduating
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Erma
Vizenor: Engaging the Nation's Citizens and Effecting Change: The White Earth Nation Story
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Those Who Belong: Identity, Family, Blood, and
Citizenship among the White Earth Anishinaabeg
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Doerfler, Jill; Sinclair, Niigaanwewidam James; Stark, Heidi
Kiiwetinepinesiik (2013).
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626:"White Earth Tribal Council rejects petition to oust Chairwoman Erma Vizenor"
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Treaty Shirts: October 2034 — A Familiar
Treatise on The White Earth Nation
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Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World through Stories
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The Future Imaginary in Indigenous North American Arts and Literatures
245:"Life Transformed Erma Vizenor at Minnesota State University Moorhead"
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573:"White Earth Band votes to end 'blood quantum' for tribal membership"
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on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, and election rigging.
65:. Her traditional Ojibwe name, given to her by her grandmother, is
389:"Rebuilding the White Earth Nation through Constitutional Reform"
554:"Tribes across the country are re-examining their constitutions"
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politician and educator. She served as the tribal chair of the
644:"Second petition attempts to oust White Earth tribal council"
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Flood, Gerald (September 23, 1991). "Casino called bad bet".
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Contemporary American Indian Women: Careers and Contributions
716:"Preserving Ojibwe hymns means more than religious devotion"
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Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education
535:"White Earth constitutional reform stalled by infighting"
441:"Chip Wadena attempts comeback, despite criminal record"
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Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
517:"Power fight could cost White Earth chairwoman her job"
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in educational administration. She earned her EdD from
80:. She earned her M.S. in guidance and counseling from
690:"Vizenor Named Leech Lake Tribal College President"
422:"Embattled White Earth chair Erma Vizenor resigns"
334:. Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Cass Lake. p. 33.
304:. State University of New York Press. p. 43.
41:Vizenor earned her doctoral education degree from
464:. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 53.
458:Hirschfelder, Arlene; Molin, Paulette F. (2012).
325:Bellanger, Patricia; Reese, Lillian (July 1983).
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140:requirement, a prerequisite also mandated by the
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461:The Extraordinary Book of Native American Lists
301:Conversations with Remarkable Native Americans
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175:hymn singing. She is related by marriage to
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814:Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni
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272:. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 173–174.
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879:Women heads of universities and colleges
844:21st-century Native American politicians
854:21st-century American women politicians
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34:for 20 years. Vizenor was president of
884:American women academic administrators
269:A Wasicu (White Man) in Indian Country
86:Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study
61:Erma Jean Vizenor was born in 1944 in
829:21st-century American women educators
7:
819:North Dakota State University alumni
571:Gunderson, Dan (November 20, 2013).
552:Hopfensperger, Jean (July 7, 2013).
203:"Vizenor has spent years protesting"
859:21st-century American women writers
714:Gunderson, Dan (January 10, 2013).
100:Vizenor worked as a teacher in the
74:Minnesota State University Moorhead
51:Minnesota State University Moorhead
834:21st-century Minnesota politicians
688:Hanson, Matt (November 14, 2016).
14:
849:Native American women in politics
515:Enger, John (December 23, 2015).
804:People from Cass Lake, Minnesota
387:Krausová, Anna (April 3, 2019).
360:Fletcher, Matthew L. M. (2024).
864:Native American women novelists
824:21st-century American novelists
439:Robertson, Tom (May 25, 2004).
159:, succeeding interim president
45:. She also earned degrees from
113:White Earth Indian Reservation
102:White Earth Indian Reservation
32:White Earth Indian Reservation
16:Ojibwe politician and educator
1:
799:Schoolteachers from Minnesota
405:10.1080/07393148.2019.1594503
201:Olson, David (May 30, 2004).
151:Vizenor wrote the 2016 novel
82:North Dakota State University
47:North Dakota State University
661:Baudemann, Kristina (2021).
247:. Minnesota State University
839:Women in Minnesota politics
298:Rostkowski, Joëlle (2012).
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592:American Indian Law Review
363:American Indian Tribal Law
789:White Earth Nation people
227:"The Last Standing Woman"
157:Leech Lake Tribal College
67:Esh-quay-gah-bowah-e-quay
36:Leech Lake Tribal College
869:Novelists from Minnesota
142:Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
117:Bureau of Indian Affairs
57:Early life and education
794:Native American leaders
485:Doerfler, Jill (2015).
630:Park Rapids Enterprise
225:Coleman, Nick (2014).
72:She started attending
393:New Political Science
366:. Aspen Publishing.
266:Murray, Jim (2012).
109:Shooting Star Casino
63:Cass Lake, Minnesota
428:. January 21, 2016.
347:Winnipeg Free Press
96:Career and activism
233:. Bush Foundation.
130:White Earth Ojibwe
90:Harvard University
43:Harvard University
28:White Earth Nation
746:978-1-60917-353-1
674:978-1-000-52989-0
648:Worthington Globe
498:978-1-62895-229-2
373:979-8-88906-161-8
311:978-1-4384-4176-4
279:978-1-4691-3940-1
20:Erma Jean Vizenor
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183:References
38:in 2016.
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