This series consists of decimal correspondence files. The records contain information on all aspects of the administration and operations of the Minneapolis Area Office (MAO) in providing planning, staffing, execution, and coordination of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) programs. The records include information about and documents and correspondence created by officials and employees of the BIA agencies under the direct oversight of MAO, including the Consolidated Chippewa Agency; the Great Lakes Agency; the Keshena Agency; the Menominee Agency; the Minnesota Agency; Pipestone Indian School; the Red Lake Agency; and Tomah Indian School and Agency.
Through these local BIA offices, assistance was provided to the Federally recognized tribes within MAO’s jurisdiction, in areas such as contract administration; forest management; tribal government; self-determination and self-governance services; road construction; delivery of direct services; and fulfillment of the Federal government's trust responsibilities. MAO also oversaw local BIA agency program administration and improvement plans.
The records contain information about and documents and correspondence created by officials and members of the affected tribes, which include the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and its six member Bands (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians, Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa Indians, Grand Portage Band of Chippewa Indians, Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, and White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians); the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians; the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians; the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians; the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians; the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe; the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community; the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin; the Stockbridge and Munsee Tribe of Indians; the Bay Mills Indian Community; the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa; the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe; and the Upper and Lower Sioux Tribes in Minnesota.
The records provide information on services and activities on the Bad River Indian Reservation; Cass Lake Indian Reservation; Fond du Lac Indian Reservation; Grand Portage Reservation; Hannahville Indian Reservation; Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation; Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation; Leech Lake Indian Reservation; Lower Sioux Indian Reservation; Mille Lacs Indian Reservation; Mole Lake (Sokaogon) Indian Reservation; Nett Lake Indian Reservation; Potawatomi Indian Reservation; Prairie Island Indian Reservation; Red Cliff Indian Reservation; St. Croix Indian Reservation; Upper Sioux Indian Reservation; Vermillion Lake Indian Reservation; and White Earth Indian Reservation.
The records include letters received and copies of letters sent; telegrams; memorandums; and postcards. The correspondents include the Commissioner of Indians Affairs, and other Bureau of Indian Affairs officials; officials from other Bureau of Indian Affairs agencies and schools, both under MAO oversight and located elsewhere in the U.S.; MAO employees; officials from Indian warehouses; vendors; individual Indians; and other establishments, organizations, and individuals having business with MAO.
The records also include circulars; forms; instructions; monographs; clippings; reports; announcements; press releases; news bulletins; notes; informational statements; booklets; histories; and notices. The records include newsletters published by other BIA agencies; copies of Congressional legislative acts and bills; and annual reports and extension reports submitted to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, including narratives and statistics. The files contain photographs and speeches.
The records provide information on office administration, employment, and personnel management at MAO and the agencies under its oversight, including management planning and improvement; staff meetings, retirement, leaves of absence, changes in personnel, and transportation. The records include job descriptions; organization charts; reports on field trips, inspections, and investigations; individual employee case files; and minutes of meetings and conferences. The records provide information on law enforcement; investigations; and controversies and claims.
Topics related to buildings and property management include the purchase and delivery of equipment, supplies, and vehicles; appropriations, expenditures, and payments; cash accounts; audits; employee housing; sale and disposal of buildings and property; and the construction and repair of buildings, roads, telephone service, and public utilities. The related administrative and financial records include blueprints and architectural drawings; building plans; financial statements; budgets and budget estimates; salary lists; audit reports on tribal accounts and agencies; contracts; and reservation housing surveys.
The records related to land use provide information on the sale and inheritance of allotted Indian land; agriculture, crops, and irrigation; right of way; hunting and fishing; forestry and blister rust control; logging, lumber, and sawmills; flood control; Indian Emergency Conservation Work and Civilian Conservation Corps—Indian Division work and fire schools; and forest fires and fire prevention. The related records include maps and plats; forest fire reports; forestry management plans and reports; and contracts and financial records related to mills.
Information on tribal government is provided in the records, including tribal elections; Indian council committees and meetings; and delegations of tribal representatives sent to various conferences and events. The records include minutes of tribal council meetings, and the charters, constitutions, bylaws, and codes of law of various tribes. The records provide information on tribal enrollment, and elections related to the Wheeler-Howard Act (Indian Reorganization Act) of 1934; tribal cooperative marketing associations related to wild rice and handicraft; payments to individual Indians, including annuity payments; pro rata shares of tribal trust funds; and per capita payments.
The records provide information on Indian culture and customs, including language, marriage, dance, fairs, and celebrations. The records include correspondence, newsletters, reports, and minutes from various mission organizations, the National Congress of American Indians, the Boy Scouts of America, the Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Indian Rights Association, the Children’s Bureau, and the World Council of Churches.
Topics related to Indian health, welfare, and social services include physicians, dentists, patients, and hospitals; accidents; diseases, tuberculosis, and epidemics; agricultural and home economics extension work, including 4-H Clubs; child welfare; sanitation; relief and rehabilitation; and childbirths and deaths. The records include physicians’ and social workers’ reports; applications for admission to sanatoriums; foster home contracts; and boarding home contracts.
The records related to education include applications for public school contracts for Indian students; applications for public schools and tuition; school attendance reports; school statistics reports; minutes from education conferences; and school census records. Topics covered in the records include off-reservation boarding schools, mission schools, public schools, and Indian day schools; transportation of school children; adult education; summer programs; teacher workshops and training; scholarships, and educational loans.
