Red Lake Nation Chairman Says He Will Remain in Office

Red Lake Nation Chairman Darrell G. Seki Sr. said Oct. 19 that he would remain in office, contradicting the Tribal Council's Oct. 16 statement that he had agreed to step down within two weeks. His written statement, reproduced by Native News Online and Red Lake Nation News, said he had informed the council in writing that he was neither retiring nor resigning; IND has not independently obtained the original.

The council said Oct. 16 that Seki had acknowledged mistakes in how important information was communicated to its members and agreed to retire. Seki had disputed the claim on Facebook that day, according to MPR News and KAXE, before issuing the more formal statement Monday. Red Lake Nation's website still listed him as chairman when checked Oct. 26. That listing does not resolve the disagreement over what was said in the council's discussion.

The dispute follows the Bureau of Indian Affairs' September reassumption of the Nation's child welfare program, Ombimindwaa Gidinawemaaganinaadog. MPR News reported that the federal notice alleged a pattern of inaction in cases involving children and described multiple deaths. Those are federal allegations, not findings adopted by the Nation. This account does not identify children or discuss individual cases.

In its own three-page statement dated Oct. 17, the Tribal Council said information and characterizations in the Interior Department's letter remain disputed or need clarification. It said it is gathering and verifying facts for an internal review and its ongoing mediation and appeal. The council also acknowledged the grief of families and the fear of federal involvement, pointing to the history of policies that separated Anishinaabe children from their families and communities.

The council said it has begun corrective steps and wants to restore Tribal child welfare services as quickly and responsibly as possible. It wrote that accountability applies to elected leaders as well as other officials, while privacy limits what it can discuss publicly.

KAXE reported that a members-only community listening session was scheduled for Oct. 20 in Redby; the session barred media. No later council decision or new public statement resolving Seki's status was found in the sources checked Oct. 26. The council's stated two-week period runs to about Oct. 30.