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This place and its people have never warmed to outsiders. The Red Lake Band of Chippewa have been here for more than a century, fighting among themselves and others for sovereignty in the cold, hard landscape of northern Minnesota. They have closed ranks even more tightly since one of their own, a 16-year-old boy, shot to death his grandfather - a beloved, veteran tribal police officer - and then killed nine others, including himself. "They are a very private people," said Sister Marina Schlangen, who has lived among the 7,000 Chippewa for the past 15 years as development coordinator for St. Mary's Mission, a school, convent and ministry on the edge of the flat, 880-square-mile reservation. "They live in private and they grieve in private." Life is not easy here. The unemployment rate was estimated in the 2000 Census at 40 percent, but others, including Schlangen, who writes federal grant applications for the reservation, say it may actually be as high as 65 percent. Many live below the poverty line, dependent on state and federal aid. School test scores rank among the lowest in Minnesota. Drug and alcohol abuse is a crippling problem; there is a treatment center for juveniles here. [more]

Family of Red Lake shooting victim upset over media limits [more]
Pictured above: Security guard Derrick Brun was laid to rest Monday. His family has previously critiqued reservation officials for restricting the media.