The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the L'Anse Reservation

If you move to Baraga County, one thing is worth understanding from the start. You’re settling on or beside the homeland of an Ojibwe nation. That nation has been here far longer than the county itself. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is a federally recognized tribe of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians. Its Ojibwe name is Gakiiwe’onaning. The L’Anse Reservation it holds is the oldest and largest reservation in Michigan. It was created under an 1854 treaty. It wraps around both sides of Keweenaw Bay. It covers close to a third of the entire county. Most of the village of Baraga and part of L’Anse sit on reservation land.

This isn’t just history — it’s a living, governing community. The tribe runs its own government, courts, police, health and education centers, and natural-resources programs. It runs businesses too, including the Ojibwa Casino and the Ojibwa Recreation Area on the Lake Superior shore. Tribal members fish, hunt, and gather across the region under treaty rights the courts have upheld. The community works actively to protect the land, water, and fishery of Keweenaw Bay.

For a newcomer, the practical takeaways are simple. You’re a neighbor to a sovereign nation, and that’s something to respect. Tribal land and treaty rights are real and legally protected. And the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is a big part of what makes this county what it is. The original people of these shores are still very much present here. They’re still governing, and still shaping the life of the area today.