- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians Tribal Chair Cathy Chavers announced she will step down at the end of January to focus on her mental health.
The decision marks the end of nearly 50 years of service to the Bois Forte Band, including stints in tribal health care and as a council member before winning the tribal chair position in 2016. Chavers won her third term as chair in June 2024. Bois Forte Tribal Vice Chair Shane Drift will serve as acting chair until the seat is held.
According to her bio on the tribe’s website, Chavers currently serves on multiple boards and committees across the state, including positions as the first female president of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and the Bemidji Area representative of the Indian Health Service (IHS) budget forum. She is also a member of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, and the St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services Advisory Board.
“I’ve worked for the Bois Forte Tribe for 47 years and have always told others to take care of themselves, but I never followed my own advice,” Chavers told the local ABC-TV affiliate. “I’m just mentally exhausted—tribal government and politics are tough, and it was time for me to take care of myself.”
During her tenure as chairwoman, Chavers led the tribe through major events, including rebuilding a burned-down government center and managing the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, she helped secure the return of 28,000 acres of ancestral lands through a partnership with the Indian Land Tenure Foundation and the Nature Conservancy nonprofits. The transfer remains the largest such return in Minnesota history and one of the largest such land returns in the history of the United States.
Chavers doesn’t plan on leaving service altogether. She told the Minnesota Star-Tribune that while she wants to work off-reservation for her next chapter, she still hopes to improve education and health-care outcomes for her tribe.
“I’ve worked on my reservation my whole life,” Chavers told the Tribune. “I love working for the tribe, but I’ve never worked off the reservation.”
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