Jourdain succeeds Gillespie as Red Lake Hereditary Chief

Jourdain was sworn in by fellow Hereditary Chief James Loud, while Chiefs, Tribal Councilors, Red Lake members, friends and family all were in attendance.

Members of Red Lake's Seven Hereditary Chief system have the responsibility of deciding who is to succeed the previous Chief by examining the family trees or lineage charts.

"Sometimes it's easy." Loud said in a press release. "As a general rule, the honor and responsibility of being a Red Lake Hereditary Chief is inherited by the eldest son. There are other times, (for example a chief with no sons) that require more consultation. In all cases, lineage is examined and it is the Chief's who determine who best meets the criteria for filling a vacancy. The Tribal Council then ratifies that choice."

Red Lake, one of two closed reservations in the U.S., is touted as having the first modern indigenous democratic governance system in the nation, while maintaining a hereditary chief system, the release said.

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