- 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.”
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Photographs of the Homecoming of the Three Fires Powwow
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
