Leaders of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota won't schedule a new election despite a ruling from the tribal court of appeals. The court called for a new election for chief executive. The ruling stated that former executive Melanie Benjamin, who has been charged in tribal court for alleged mismanagement, should be allowed to run for office. But tribal leaders said the court misused the Ojibwe philosophy of "zha we ni maa." They said they won't schedule an election until Benjamin's case is resolved. "We write to you in the spirit of zha we ni maa. Zha we ni maa is a traditional Ojibwe philosophy that guides us to unite as a people and to work together for our collective greater good. Zha we ni maa guides us every day as we work for Band members in tribal government," tribal leaders said in a letter to tribal members, The Mille Lacs Messenger reported. Get the Story:
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