ABSTRACT
For almost half a century the affairs of the Deer Lake t r i b e 2 of Chip pewa 3 Indians in Minnesota have been conducted by a tribal council operating under a written constitution. Although this modern form of government stands in marked contrast to aboriginal Chippewa political organization, i t nevertheless furnishes some interesting case materials for the analysis of succession to office and of some of the general prob lems inherent in the process. I shall consider briefly some aspects of political organization during the early phases of contact, the establish ment of the modern council, and the patterns of succession to office. Then I shall analyze in detail a recent dispute over succession that led to a sweeping reorganization of tribal government.
