Secretary-Treasurer

June 2026 Secretary-Treasurer Report

Greetings White Earth Members,
As we welcome the arrival of summer, I am
filled with excitement for the season ahead. The
longer days and warming temperatures signal the
start of a vibrant time for our community, including
the much-anticipated Pow-Wow season.

I am honored to provide you with this monthly
report from the Secretary-Treasurer’s Office. My
report includes the following key updates:

Waabigwan Mashkiki: The RBC and staff and media attended the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Grand Opening of the Waabigwan Mashkiki dispensary in East Grand Forks, Minn.

This is the third dispensary that they have opened off reservation. These off reservation dispensaries provide revenue for on-reservation programs.

White Earth Reservation Business Committee updates:
I attended these events in May,

• The annual State of the Nation was held May 7 with a large crowd of membership and local dignitaries. This event was a huge success and provided several important updates. I did a thorough Financial report for our membership.

• The Annual Mother’s Day Pow-Wow on May 9-10 at the Shooting Star Event Center. It was great spending time visiting with everyone at this annual event.

• The Circle of Life Academy Pow-Wow in White Earth. It was a pleasure visiting with the students and staff.

• A couple of retirement celebrations for White Earth RBC employees that have served the tribe for many years. Now they can take a well-deserved break so they can spend time with their families and friends. I say congratulations to these employees -
  relax and enjoy your retirement, well deserved.

• The 4th Annual MMIR Awareness Walk in Mahnomen, this event brings awareness to all the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. It was a great turnout.

• The Pine Point Resilience Hub Solar Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Pine Point School. This project provides power to the school and emergency power when the electricity goes out in severe weather, providing resources for all the membership in the
  Pine Point area. This is a great and much needed project.

• The Mahnomen and Waubun High School American Indian Education Program Senior Banquets. Graduating seniors were honored for their accomplishments. Congratulations to all graduates.

• The White Earth Tribal and Community College graduation on May 14. I would like to congratulate all the graduates on their accomplishments and moving forward in the next phase of their lives.

• The Circle of Life Academy graduation on May 21. They graduated five seniors this year - congratulations to all students. The future looks bright.

• The Circle of Life Academy Drug Resistance and Education (DARE) graduation. White Earth Police Officer Peter Drift Sr. is the School Resources Officer and DARE instructor for this course. This is a very important course for the students at COLA. I would also like to thank our Deputy Director Curtis Rogers for attending and for being the keynote speaker at this event.

• The Waubun Youth Wellness Event (“Our Health is Sacred”) at the Waubun Community Center. This was hosted by the White Earth Tribal Public Health and White Earth Behavioral Health programs.
  I played kick ball with all youth along with all Public Safety staff, it was a great event for our youth and community.

The 158th Annual White Earth Treaty Day Celebration & Pow-Wow is June 12-14 at the White Earth Pow-Wow grounds. This is a great celebration where all relatives are able to celebrate our culture
and visit from all over the country.

I would also like to congratulate all graduates from Head Start to the college level and everyone in between. You are all future leaders. I would like to quote our former Chairwomen Erma J. Vizenor -“Education is key to our future.”

As summer arrives, bringing with it outdoor activities, I eagerly anticipate the celebrations and the chance to engage with our members this season. I am grateful to the members of the White Earth Nation for appointing me as Secretary-Treasurer. Serving our Nation is an honor, and I am dedicated to advancing our priorities and improving people’s lives.
Miigwech,

Michael J. LaRoque
Secretary-Treasurer