OGITCHIDAKWEHonorable Retired Judge

Betty Migizikwe Laverdure

Once in a rare while the Creator will impart

Greatness and kindness both, in one human heart.

Sometimes, mysteriously, sweetness and pure love

Are allowed to exist with smart and tough.

Today the best among us is not erased

But made again, young and strong, in that fierce embrace

Of gracious power, and her namesake's wings.

How she loved us, how she loved us all.

So may we love each other now.

For Migizikwe, Eagle WomanAuthor Louise Erdrich

IN HONOR OF MIGIZIKWE

VALUES

STRENGTHSIMPLICITY

VALUES

EDUCATIONRESPECT

VALUES

RAISING GOOD MEN

"Besides being captain,

incommon with the others,

[Jean Baptiste Wilkie] was styled

the great war chief or head of

the camp; and on all public

occasions he occupied the

place of president."

GGGGrandaughter

of a Chief

“The ceremonies made me and my family see

and feel life and creation in a holistic way. We

learned to communicate with the natural world

and the spirit world as a way of life; we learned

that it was a duty the Great Spirit gave human

beings to maintain.”

SPIRITUALITY

She was a proud member of the Bear Clan of the

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. In that role,

she took to heart, more than most, her duty to

protect the rights and dignity of her people, and,

in fact, any populations considered to be

marginalized and vulnerable. Her interpretation

of that role was to serve as an educator,

advocate and Chief Tribal Justice.

TRADITIONAL ROLES

“We are a healing people, so it is up to us if we

are going to make time to live the life our

ancestors did by giving thanks. We are so lucky to

have each other and to be still able to gather up

and do our ceremonies. As long as we are still

lighting our Sacred Fires, as long as we are

lighting our Sacred Pipes, the Great Mystery can

hear and feel our respect for Life and the

Universe.”

BIIMADIZIWIN

A HORSE THIEF

Forced to go to residential school, she was determined to go home to her

beloved Turtle Mountains. She planned, carefully how to go across two

states without being caught, because if they were caught, their hair

would be shaved off. Her hair was naturally curly and way past her waist.

It was her strength.

She ran away at night and stole a horse. She will ride all night. She would

hide during the day. She did that everyday until she arrived at Belcourt,

North Dakota.

Betty ended up graduating from Turtle Mountain High School as

Valedictorian. Her good friend Danny Jerome was Salutorian.

“I was chief judge, and I acted as an appeals court

judge for the tribe. It was the most important job I ever

held for my people, being their judge in the

courthouse. In 1968, I was involved in writing a code of

ethics that was later used as a model in different

states. In 1977, I went to work for the bureau of Indian

Affairs, and we used that code. Later I began to write

codes for Unites States Government.”

TRIBAL LAW & SELF-GOVERNANCE

“Back then, there weren't very many tribal courts

and those that were there, were under federal or

state laws and policies,'' Laverdure said. “So, I began

thinking about that and started working on the

codes.'' Those codes have since become the

backbone of the current tribal court systems in much

of Indian country.

TRIBAL LAW & SELF-GOVERNANCE

Laverdure said it was an uphill battle, but one she

loved. "A lot of people thought we were wasting our

time, but we saw the 1965 Civil Rights Act coming up

and knew we had to do something. The tribal courts

didn't allow lawyers in the tribal courtrooms back

then. I could see that we needed our own court

system and I decided to start writing some laws for

our courts.

BEING A PIONEER & VISIONARY

Laverdure and other tribal judges pioneered the

tribal court system. They saw the need for new tribal

legislation as the Indian Civil Rights bill was on the

horizon in the late 1960s and formed a Tribal Judges

Association.

BEING A PIONEER & VISIONARY

Laverdure was the one of fifteen staff that started the Turtle

Mountain Tribal & Community College. Dr. Larry Belgarde,

the first president for the college noted that all they had as

a resource was vision.

She was involved in the drafting of the Indian Child Welfare

Act.

She was a charter founding member of the Native

American Indian Court Judges Association.

BEING A PIONEER & VISIONARY

She now sees a need for tribal elders to be a part of the

modern system. By using elders to hold tribal governmental

officers accountable for their actions, Laverdure envisions a

more ethical and moral tribal governmental system coming

into view. She also sees a need for Native American

students to learn from their elders as well as college studies

and believes that they need to return to Indian country to

continue the fight to build sovereign tribal governments.

LEADERSHIP & WISDOM

Laverdure always remembered the advice of her

grandmother when things got tough. "She always

said to be the best at whatever it was you did, if you

were going to be a manure shoveler, be the best

manure shoveler there ever was! That is what I would

like to teach my kids."

DOING YOUR BEST

PIPE MAKER & PIPE CARRIER & PEACE MAKER

Culture, heritage and tradition were always important to Betty.

She was active in the Midewiwin Medicine Lodge, was a

Medicine Bundle and Pipe carrier, and participated for many

years in the Eagle Sun Dance. She became expert at carving

pipe stems from Sumac branches as gifts for other sun dancers,

including for some of her family members.

BE EDUCATED, LIVE WITH INTEGRITY, FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

Betty cherished the value of integrity, cultural dignity, justice, the search for

knowledge, and facing adversity with humor, courage, determination. She

instilled in her children the strong appreciation of education, and is proud of

their accomplishments. Betty has often said that her life’s greatest work has

been her children and she is most proud of their accomplishments, including

careers in law, medicine, higher education, and civil service.

A GRANDSONS TRIBUTE

Survived poverty, residential school system, etc. Educated in law,

a judge, authored legislation, authored this countries first tribal

constitution, helped found a college, represented all indigenous

people internationally. Yet her greatest accomplishment was

that of a mother. Native women are the backbone of our

society. They are the authors of change in our society.

A GRANDSONS TRIBUTE

Migizikwe made change when women weren't allowed to and

men were to corrupt or lazy to. The resurgence of Native people

will never be with the bluster, incompetence, and destruction by

men but with the diligence, patience, and dignity of women.

Migizikwe set a high standard. But all standards are meant to be

surpassed. Our elders suffered to give us opportunity. Shame on

us if we "choose" not to seize it.

A GRANDSONS INDIAN MATH

3 people in my life are my moral compass.

2 of them are gone now.

Even at the age of 40 I still have questions.

So going forward I will continue to rely on

the wisdom of the women in my family.

It's who I've always turned to.

WOMEN, VALUES, COURAGE, COMPASSION, LOVE, LEADERSHIP, POWER,

FUTURE BEING BUILT THROUGH LIVING