The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the L'Anse Reservation

If you move to Baraga County, it’s worth understanding from the start that you’re settling on or beside the homeland of an Ojibwe nation that has been here far longer than the county itself. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community — in Ojibwe, Gakiiwe’onaning — is a federally recognized tribe of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians, and the L’Anse Reservation it holds is the oldest and largest reservation in Michigan, established under an 1854 treaty. It wraps around both sides of Keweenaw Bay and 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, natural-resources programs, and businesses, 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 that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld, and 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 — a place where the original people of these shores are still very much present, still governing, and still shaping the life of the area today. The tribe’s website at kbic-nsn.gov is the best place to learn more.