The Winnebago Reservation of the

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska () is one of two federally recognized tribes of Ho-Chunk, along with the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. Tribe members often identify as ''Hoocągra'', meaning "People of the Parent Speech" in their own language. It ...

is located in

Thurston County, Nebraska Thurston County is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 6,773. Its county seat is Pender. In the Nebraska license plate system, Thurston County is represented by ...

, United States. The tribal council offices are located in the town of Winnebago. The villages of Emerson, south of First Street, as well as

Thurston Thurston may refer to: Places Antarctica * Thurston Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Thurston Island, off Ellsworth Land United Kingdom * Thurston, Suffolk, England, a village and parish ** Thurston railway station United States * Thurston County, Neb ...

, are also located on the reservation. The reservation occupies northern

, as well as southeastern Dixon County and

Woodbury County, Iowa Woodbury County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 105,941, making it the sixth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Sioux City ...

, and a small plot of off-reservation land of southern Craig Township in

Burt County, Nebraska Burt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska, bordering the west bank of the upper Missouri River. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 6,722. Its county seat is Tekamah. The county was formed in 1854 and named afte ...

. The other federally recognized Winnebago tribe is the

Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin The Ho-Chunk Nation ( Ho-Chunk language: ) is a federally recognized tribe of the Ho-Chunk with traditional territory across five states in the United States: Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. The other federally recognized tri ...

Early history

The Winnebago Reservation is on land that originally belonged to the

Omaha Nation The Omaha are a federally recognized Midwestern Native American tribe who reside on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States. The Omaha Indian Reservation lies primarily in the southern part of Thurston Cou ...

. On February 21, 1863, Congress passed legislation removing the Winnebago, who call themselves the

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hocąk, Hoocągra, or Winnebago are a Siouan languages, Siouan-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois ...

, from a reservation in

Blue Earth County, Minnesota Blue Earth County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 69,112. Its county seat is Mankato, Minnesota, Mankato. The county is named for t ...

to Crow Creek, South Dakota. This location lacked essential resources, leading to a famine that sent many Winnebago people to seek refuge on the

Omaha Reservation The Omaha Reservation () of the federally recognized Omaha tribe is located mostly in Thurston County, Nebraska, with sections in neighboring Cuming and Burt counties, in addition to Monona County in Iowa. As of the 2020 federal census, the res ...

further down the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. In order to establish a separate Winnebago Reservation, the Omaha Nation ceded the northern portion of their own reservation to the United States on March 6, 1865, and the United States granted this area to the Winnebago Tribe in exchange for their South Dakota lands in a treaty on March 8, 1865. The Omaha Nation later conveyed an additional of timber land to the Winnebago Reservation through an

act of Congress An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

on June 22, 1874 and a deed dated July 31, 1874. Federal legislation including 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 ...

of 1887 led to the allotment of Winnebago tribal lands into private ownership. By 1910, the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

reported that were allotted to 1,200 Indians; reserved for agency, etc.; the residue, , is unallotted.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the reservation has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska held an additional of

off-reservation trust land In the United States, off-reservation trust land refers to real estate outside an Indian reservation that is held by the Interior Department for the benefit of a Native American tribe or a member of a tribe. Typical uses of off-reservation trus ...

as of 2020. Due to allotment under the

of 1887, much of the reservation is no-longer tribally-owned. According to the

, the tribe's total trust land was , or about 24.5% of the reservation land area.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the population living within the reservation boundaries was 2,737. 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 921 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the reservation and off-reservation trust land was 67.1% Native American, 26.9%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.2% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.2%

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.

Economic development

In 1992 the

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 ...

established the WinnaVegas Casino to generate revenues and provide employment. Its council had already legalized alcohol sales on the reservation, in order to keep the revenues from sales taxes and associated fees that its residents had previously paid through off-reservation merchants to the state. It also now directly regulates the sales and can provide for treatment for individuals and families affected by alcoholism. As of 2007, 63% of federally recognized tribes in the lower 48 states had legalized alcohol sales for similar reasons.James N. Hughes III, "Pine Ridge, Whiteclay and Indian Liquor Law"
Federal Indian Law Seminar, December 2010, p. 7, University of Nebraska College of Law, accessed 27 February 2012 In 1994, based on a long-term view of growth, the tribe founded Ho-Chunk, Inc., its

economic development corporation An economic development corporation ("EDC") is an organization common in the United States, usually a 501(c)(3) non-profit, whose mission is to promote economic development within a specific geographical area. These organizations are complementary ...

, which has strongly contributed to new resources on the reservation. Beginning with one employee, it has grown to 1400 employees operating in 10 states and five foreign countries. Its revenues have provided for development in 1995 of Little Priest

Tribal College Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are a category of higher education, minority-serving institutions in the United States defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965. Each qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Univ ...

; as well as a new community school, hospital and a strong housing construction program of more than $1 million, with development of Ho-Chunk Village. The rise in its economy has enabled the tribe to improve the quality of life on the reservation, as Lance Morgan, the CEO of the corporation, discussed in a forum at

Bellevue University Bellevue University is a private university in Bellevue, Nebraska. It opened in 1966 as Bellevue College and from the outset has focused on providing adult education and educational outreach. As of 2011, 80% of its undergraduates were aged 25 ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, on April 2, 2010.KEVIN ABOUREZK, "Winnebago business leader: Poverty at heart of Whiteclay debacle"
''Lincoln Journal Star,'' 7 April 2010, accessed 29 February 2012 Ho-Chunk, Inc. has gained awards for small business, and it has initiated a strong housing construction program in collaboration with federal programs. Its leaders were featured on ''Native American Entrepreneurs'', airing in 2009 on PBS.''Native American Entrepreneurs''
''American Experience,'' PBS; 13, 20, and 27 April 2009, accessed 1 March 2012 Ho-Chunk, Inc. operates 26 subsidiaries in areas such as information technology, construction, government contracting, green energy, retail, wholesale distribution, marketing, media and transportation.

Notes

References

External links

Reservation tract maps
from the US Census.
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
official website
Ho-Chunk, Inc.
economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
WinnaVegas Casino
{{authority control Geography of Thurston County, Nebraska Geography of Dixon County, Nebraska Geography of Woodbury County, Iowa Geography of Burt County, Nebraska American Indian reservations in Nebraska Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska