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The Oneida Nation is a
federally recognized tribe A federally recognized tribe is a Native American tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. In the United States, the Native American tribe ...
of
Oneida people The Oneida people ( ; wikt:autonym, autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native Ameri ...
in Wisconsin. The tribe's reservation spans parts of two counties west of the Green Bay
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
. The reservation was established by treaty in 1838, and was allotted to individual New York Oneida tribal members as part of an agreement with the U.S. government. The land was individually owned until the tribe was formed under the
Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...
of 1934. Under the
Dawes Act The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the P ...
, the land was allotted in 1892 to individual households. The nation kept control of most of the land until sales were allowed in the early 20th century, when members were often tricked out of their property. They used the land for farming and harvesting timber. As of 2010, the nation controlled about 35 percent of the land within its reservation and is working to reacquire the rest. In 1988 the nation established the state's first modern lottery, known as Big Green. Since the late 20th century, the nation developed the gaming Ashwaubenon Casino on its property, which is generating revenue for economic development and welfare. Of the more than 16,000 members, roughly half live on the reservation.


History

The Oneida Nation is an Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking nation, whose ancestors came from what is now central-eastern New York. They became one of the original Five Nations of the powerful Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. Although many Oneida of what was called the Christian Party had allied with the rebels during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, afterward the tribe was under pressure to cede lands in New York to the new federal government. Their territory was encroached on by European-American settlers and the people suffered from harassment by settlers who did not distinguish between former allies and enemies (four of the six Iroquois nations had been allied with the British). Many began to relocate from New York in the 1820s and 1830s to Wisconsin, where they were offered land. By a treaty in 1838, the Oneida accepted a reservation, and chief Patrick James Brault negotiated to ensure that the land was to be held communally by the tribe.James W. Oberly, "The Dawes Act and the Oneida Indian Reservation of Wisconsin"
p. 188, in ''The Oneida Indians in the Age of Allotment, 1860-1920'', (editors) Laurence M. Hauptman, L. Gordon McLester, University of Oklahoma Press, 2006
Oneida activists from Wisconsin and New York such as Laura Cornelius Kellogg (1880-1947) would make continual efforts to uphold Indian land claims.


20th century


Great Depression

During the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, the
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
organized the
Federal Writers' Project The Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers and to develop a history and overview of the United States, by state, cities and other jurisdictions. It was ...
, which produced state guides and also helped preserve much of Oneida culture. Its Oneida Language and Folklore Project gathered hundreds of stories and material about their culture.


Termination period

In the period between
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and The Sixties the US government followed a policy of Indian Termination for its Native citizens. In a series of laws, attempting to mainstream tribal people into the greater society, the government strove to end the U.S. government's recognition of tribal sovereignty, eliminate trusteeship over Indian reservations, and implement state law applicability to native persons. In general the laws were expected to create taxpaying citizens, subject to state and federal taxes as well as laws, from which Native people had previously been exempt. On August 13, 1946, the
Indian Claims Commission The Indian Claims Commission (ICC) was a judicial relations arbiter between the United States federal government and Native American tribes. It was established under the Indian Claims Act of 1946 by the United States Congress to hear any longstandin ...
Act of 1946, Pub. L. No. 79-726, ch. 959, was passed. Its purpose was to settle for all time any outstanding grievances or claims the tribes might have against the U.S. for treaty breaches, unauthorized taking of land, dishonorable or unfair dealings, or inadequate compensation. Claims had to be filed within a five-year period, and most of the 370 complaints that were submitted were filed at the approach of the 5-year deadline in August, 1951. On 1 August 1953,
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
issued a formal statement, House Concurrent Resolution 108, which was the formal policy presentation announcing the official federal policy of Indian termination. The resolution called for the "immediate termination of the Flathead, Klamath,
Menominee The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...
,
Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...
, and
Turtle Mountain Chippewa The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwe language: Mikinaakwajiw-ininiwag) is a federally recognized Native American tribe of Ojibwe based on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. The tribe has 30,000 ...
, as well as all tribes in the states of
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,
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,
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, and
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." All federal aid, services, and protection offered to Native people were to cease, and the federal trust relationship and management of reservations would end.Wilkinson, Charles. ''Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations'. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005 Individual members of terminated tribes were to become full United States citizens with all the rights, benefits and responsibilities of any other United States citizen. The resolution also called for the Interior Department to quickly identify other tribes who would be ready for termination in the near future. A January 21, 1954 memo by the Department of the Interior advised that a bill for termination was being prepared including "about 3,600 members of the Oneida Tribe residing in Wisconsin. Another memo of the Department of the Interior memo entitled ''Indian Claims Commission Awards Over $38.5 Million to Indian Tribes in 1964,'' states that the Emigrant Indians of New York are "(now known as the Oneidas, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brotherton Indians of Wisconsin)". In an effort to fight termination and force the government into recognizing their outstanding land claims from New York, the three tribes began filing litigation in the 1950s.I Want the News
As a result of a claim filed with the Indian Claims Commission, the group was awarded a settlement of $1,313,472.65 on August 11, 1964. To distribute the funds, Congress passed Public Law 90-93; 81 Stat. 229; ''Emigrant New York Indians of Wisconsin Judgment Act'' and prepared separate rolls of persons in each of the three groups to determine which tribal members had at least one-quarter "Emigrant New York Indian blood." It further directed tribal governing bodies of the Oneidas and Stockbridge-Munsee to apply to the Secretary of the Interior for approval of fund distributions, thereby ending termination efforts for these tribes. With regard to the Brothertown Indians, however, though the law did not specifically state they were terminated, it authorized all payments to be made directly to each enrollee with special provisions for minors to be handled by the Secretary, though the payments were not subject to state of federal taxes.


Reservation

The Oneida Reservation comprises portions of eastern Outagamie and western
Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...
counties. The shape of the reservation is an angled rectangle directed to the northeast, laid out along the Fox River, which runs in the same direction. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the reservation has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Only about , or slightly over 35% of the Oneida Reservation, was tribally-owned as of 2010. Most of the reservation passed out of tribal ownership due to federal policies of allotment in the late nineteenth century, allowing a large non-native population to settle within the reservation boundaries. Much of the east side of the reservation has been incorporated into the white-majority city of Green Bay and villages of
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
and Ashwaubenon. The west side of the reservation contains the unincorporated community of Oneida. The Oneida Nation is actively working to reacquire more land within its reservation boundaries.


Reservation demographics

As of the census of 2020, the population living on the Oneida Reservation was 27,110. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 10,647 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the reservation was 71.4%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 16.8% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 1.5%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.2% from other races, and 6.7% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.1%
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race.


Government

The Oneida reorganized their government in the 1930s under the
Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...
of 1934. In 1936 they adopted the Oneida Constitution. They have an elected government, with a tribal chairman, a nine-person business committee elected to three-year terms by the full membership of the nation, and the Oneida Tribal Judicial System. Additional committees and commissions are appointed or elected as needed. The tribal chair is Tehassi Hill.Business Committee Members
Oneida Nation.


Membership

As a sovereign nation, the people set their rules for membership. They require members to document that they have at least 1/4 Oneida blood (
blood quantum Blood quantum laws or Indian blood laws are laws that define Native Americans in the United States status by fractions of Native American ancestry. These laws were enacted by the Federal government of the United States, federal government and S ...
). They do not require ancestry through the maternal line, as does the
Oneida Indian Nation The Oneida Indian Nation (OIN) ( ) is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in the United States. The tribe is headquartered in Verona, New York, where the tribe originated and held territory prior to European colonialism, and continues ...
of New York.


Economy

The Oneida had a rural economy for many years, based on subsistence farming in the 19th century and timber harvesting. During the
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
, the tribe benefited from employment related to the Works Progress Administration and the
Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
, which helped build infrastructure for the community. In the mid to late-1980s the Nation started a bingo game program televised on Green Bay stations. A caller read the numbers on the bottom of the screen, and a lighted number board was shown in the upper part of the screen. Winners could redeem winning cards at the tribe's bingo hall. In 1988, the Nation sold the first "modern" lottery tickets in the state at their reservation. The state had authorized a state lottery, but it did not begin operations until 1991. The main game offered by the Oneida Nation was Big Green, which began as a pick-6-of-36 jackpot game."Oneida Tribal Icon Purcell Powless dies at age 84"
''Green Bay Press Gazette'', 7 November 2010
Since that time, the Nation has developed the Ashwaubenon Casino on the reservation for gaming, entertainment, etc. It generates revenues for reinvestment in economic development and welfare. The gaming complex includes related hotel, conference and other facilities. Since developing gaming
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
s after 1988, the Oneida tribe has, in a matter of a few decades, gone from being a destitute people to enjoying a fair amount of social prosperity. They have invested a large portion of their profits back into their community, including a sponsorship of the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. The issue of Oneida Nation's contributions to the larger community has raised controversy, as has Indian gaming throughout the country. The lottery game Big Green offered on the reservation predates the launch of the statewide
Wisconsin Lottery The Wisconsin Lottery is run by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and was authorized in 1988 by the state legislature. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Its games consist of Mega Millions, Powerball, Megabucks, Sup ...
in 1988. The new wealth generated by the tribe's gaming and other enterprises has enabled the tribe to provide many benefits for its citizens. Oneida members have assistance for dental, medical, and optical insurance and college education. They receive annual per capita payments related to profits from the casino, an amount determined each year. Many citizens of Green Bay, and many members of the Oneida tribe, have voiced concerns about the potential long-term detrimental effects of relying on casino gaming revenues for the social structure and economy of Green Bay and within the tribe. Similarly, numerous residents have questioned the state's reliance on the
Wisconsin Lottery The Wisconsin Lottery is run by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and was authorized in 1988 by the state legislature. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Its games consist of Mega Millions, Powerball, Megabucks, Sup ...
to raise money for state programs. Such systems are considered regressive in terms of tax policy. In the early 21st century, the Oneida Nation is one of the largest employers in northeastern Wisconsin with over 3,000 employees, including 975 people in tribal government. The Tribe manages more than $16 million in federal and private grant monies, and a wide range of programs, including those authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.


Notable people

* Carl J. Artman (born 1965), Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs * Daniel Bread, longtime chief, who helped negotiate the 1838 treaty for reservation and retained common lands for the tribe; in 1870 favored allotment * Cora Elm (1891–1949), American nurse in France during World War I * Charlie Hill(1961–2013), comedian, entertainer. * Laura "Minnie" Cornelius Kellogg (1880-1947), author, orator and activist * Lillie Rosa Minoka-Hill, Mohawk physician who married an Oneida man in 1905 and treated members of the reservation for decades; she was officially adopted by the Oneida in 1947 to honor her work *
Neilson Powless Neilson Powless (born September 3, 1996) is an American and Oneida Nation professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Powless is the first Native Americans in the United States, US Native American to compete in the To ...
, competitive cyclist * Paul Powless, leader who opposed allotment in the 1870s and helped depose Daniel Bread as a chief at that time * Purcell Powless, tribal chairman (1967–1990), led during development of gaming casino * Levi Parker Webster, (1883-1962), athlete * Martin Wheelock, noted football player at the
Carlisle Indian School The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Native American boarding schools, Indian boarding school in the United States from its founding in 1879 t ...
, 1894–1902. * Dennison Wheelock, composer, conductor and cornet soloist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. * James Riley Wheelock, musician, conductor and clarinet soloist * Roberta Hill Whiteman, poet and assistant professor of American studies, University of Wisconsin *
Neilson Powless Neilson Powless (born September 3, 1996) is an American and Oneida Nation professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Powless is the first Native Americans in the United States, US Native American to compete in the To ...
, professional road racing cyclist for EF Education Easypost


Communities

* Ashwaubenon (part, population 907) * Chicago Corners * Green Bay (part, population 11,306) *
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
(all, population 5,090) *
Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...
(part, population 3) * Oneida


Points of interest

* Austin Straubel International Airport * Duck Creek Trail


See also

*
Oneida people The Oneida people ( ; wikt:autonym, autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native Ameri ...
*
Oneida Indian Nation The Oneida Indian Nation (OIN) ( ) is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in the United States. The tribe is headquartered in Verona, New York, where the tribe originated and held territory prior to European colonialism, and continues ...
*
Oneida Nation of the Thames The Oneida Nation of the Thames is an Onyota'a:ka (Oneida) First Nations band government located in southwestern Ontario, located about a 30-minute drive from London, Ontario, Canada. The Oneida Nation reports a total of 6,108 members, includin ...
*
Six Nations of the Grand River Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of whom live on the reserve. The six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy ...


References


Oneida Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Wisconsin
United States Census Bureau


Further reading


Hauptman, Laurence M. ''The Iroquois and the New Deal''
Syracuse University Press, 1988, pp. 164–176 *''Oneida Lives: Long-Lost Voices of the Wisconsin Oneidas,'' edited by Herbert S. Lewis and L. Gordon McLester, University of Nebraska Press, 2005. (Accounts collected from 1939 to 1942 by the WPA Writers' Project)


External links


Oneida Nation of WisconsinOneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
Jeff Lindsay webmaster, photos of dancers and links to related pages

Oneida: Books and CDs, at Angelfire site * John Archiquette Collection. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneida Nation Of Wisconsin Native American tribes in Wisconsin Federally recognized tribes in the United States American Indian reservations in Wisconsin Populated places in Brown County, Wisconsin Populated places in Outagamie County, Wisconsin