Exercising jurisdiction since December 13, 2016.

Tribal Code

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe has a federally designated service area of 8,572 square miles across the 7 eastern counties of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It is a rural area with an average population of 20.6 persons (Native and non-Native) per square mile. The Tribe has 9 reservations/trust land sites in the service area. Currently there are 44,000 tribal members. According to the U.S. Census, the reservation has a population of approximately 2,400, and is 60 percent Indian and 40 percent non-Indian.

The tribe’s court system has a two-tiered framework, with a trial-level court and an appellate court. The tribe’s Advocacy Resource Center (ARC) is a direct service program that provides voluntary assistance and support to victims/survivors, family members, and friends. The Center maintains a 16-bed shelter called Aakdehewin Gaamig-Lodge of Bravery. Additionally, the ARC provides core services which include: crisis intervention, safety plan development, transportation assistance, domestic violence education, and referral services to community services for financial assistance, housing assistance, behavioral health, medical services, traditional medicine services, substance abuse, child care assistance, and legal aid assistance. The ARC provides emergency legal advocacy by helping victims apply for Personal Protection Orders (PPO) and attending PPO hearings. ARC also provides criminal justice advocacy, which includes working with victims to provide support around victims’ rights, notification when an offender is released from jail, working with law enforcement and/or prosecutors, crime victim impact statements, court criminal processes, hearing dates and times, court hearing safety plans, transportation assistance, accompanying victims to hearings, and informing victims about victim compensation programs.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe has not received grant funding from the program authorized in VAWA 2013 to support the exercise of SDVCJ.