Embattled White Earth chair Erma Vizenor resigns

White Earth chairwoman Erma Vizenor resigned from her post effective Wednesday.

The White Earth Tribal Council voted 3-0 to accept Vizenor's resignation, according to a statement from the council.

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe removed Vizenor from its board last month in a power struggle over constitutional reform.

When she was removed from the board in December, Vizenor said she wasn't worried about her future with the tribe and that she'd run again, citing the need for reform.

In late December, Winona LaDuke, executive director of Native American environmental group Honor the Earth, said she'd run for White Earth chair.

The White Earth Tribal Council special hearing scheduled for Jan. 22 at Shooting Star Casino Event Center has been canceled due to Vizenor's resignation, the council's statement said.

Vizenor was appointed secretary-treasurer of the White Earth Reservation in 1996 and then elected to the position in 1997 and served until 2002. She was elected chair in 2004.