Prairie Island Indian Community

Last updated
Location of Prairie Island Indian Community 2985R Prairie Island Indian Community Locator Map.svg
Location of Prairie Island Indian Community
A 2017 wacipi held by the Prairie Island Indian Community 2017 Prairie Island Indian Community Wacipi (Pow Wow) (35453937570) (cropped).jpg
A 2017 wacipi held by the Prairie Island Indian Community

Prairie Island Indian Community (Dakota: Tinta Winta) is a Mdewakanton Sioux Indian reservation in Goodhue County, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River. Most of the reservation now lies within the city of Red Wing, which developed after this land was set aside.

Contents

The reservation was established in 1889, with boundaries modified after that time. The federally recognized tribe has lost much reservation land to the requirements of two major federal projects of the 20th century. The United States Army Corps of Engineers was authorized by Congress to construct Lock and Dam No. 3 along the river to improve navigation, and took over reservation land to support this. Later, the federal government authorized construction in 1973 of the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant nearby, taking more reservation land for this project.

The main reservation lies within the city of Red Wing. Off-reservation trust lands are located both within Red Wing and in Welch Township in northern Goodhue County, as well as in Ravenna Township in eastern Dakota County. These more than double the total landholdings of the tribe. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the combined reservation and off-reservation trust land have a land area of 4.0 square miles (2,600 acres; 10 km2) [1] The reservation had 310 residents in the 2020 census, including off-reservation trust lands. [2] The tribe operates Treasure Island Resort & Casino on its land near the Mississippi River north of Red Wing.

History

Termination efforts

As part of the Indian termination policy that was followed by the US government from the 1940s to the 1960s, four Native American Groups in Minnesota were targeted. A memo dated 19 January 1955 for the BIA issued from the Department of the Interior indicates additional terminations were being reviewed in proposed legislation for four Indian communities of southern Minnesota including the Lower Sioux Community in Redwood and Scott counties, the New Upper Sioux Community in Yellow Medicine County, the Prairie Island Community in Goodhue County and about 15 individuals living on restricted tracts in Yellow Medicine County. [3]

Discussions between the BIA and the Indians from the targeted area began in 1953 and continued throughout 1954. Though the Prairie Island and Lower Sioux communities drafted agreements with individual land ownership, the Upper Sioux strongly opposed fee simple title to tribal lands. On 26 January 1955 Senator Edward Thye introduced into Congress a bill (S704) to provide for termination of the tribes. Opposition, not only of the Indians, but of other citizens who realized their state expenditures might increase, were made to the committee reviewing the bill. The Minnesota Governor's Commission on Human Rights also opposed the legislation, indicating that it would "not adequately protect the interests of the Indians..." The bill died in committee, never reaching the Senate floor. [4]

Controversial construction

The Community has lost land to major federal projects. United States Army Corps of Engineers was authorized by Congress to construct Lock and Dam No. 3 along the river to improve navigation, and took over reservation land to support this. Later, the federal government authorized construction in 1973 of the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant nearby, taking more reservation land for this project.

The plant's owner and operator, Xcel Energy, has stored radioactive waste in above-ground steel casks on the site since 1991. As this area is in the floodplain of the Mississippi River, the Prairie Island Community and others feared that seasonal flooding could damage the casks, resulting in contamination of this important river.

In 2003 Xcel gained legislative authority in Minnesota to expand the number of radioactive waste casks it had on site. The legislature granted the request, but required the company to make greater use of renewable energy in generating power, such as wind power. In addition, it was required to pay the adjacent Prairie Island Community up to $2.25 million per year to help with improvements to their evacuation plan (in case of a nuclear accident), as well as the acquisition and development of new land for their reservation. In addition, this money was to help pay for a health study and emergency management activities by the small tribe.

In the 21st century, the Prairie Island Community and others in the area opposed renewal by the NRC of the operating license of this plant, but it was approved in June 2011. [5] [6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the combined reservation and off-reservation trust land have a total area of 5.34 square miles (3,420 acres; 13.8 km2), of which 4.0 square miles (2,600 acres; 10 km2) is land and 1.33 square miles (850 acres; 3.4 km2) is water. The land area of the reservation alone was 0.86 square miles (550 acres; 2.2 km2), while the land area of the off-reservation trust land was 3.14 square miles (2,010 acres; 8.1 km2). [1]

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, [2] the combined population of Prairie Island Indian Community and Off-Reservation Trust Land was 310. The population density was 77.4 inhabitants per square mile (29.9/km2). There were 115 housing units at an average density of 28.7 per square mile (11.1/km2). The racial makeup of the reservation and off-reservation trust land was 80.0% Native American, 6.8% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 10.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 10.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Wing, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

Red Wing is a city and the county seat of Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. The population was 16,547 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Anse Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation in Michigan, United States

The L'Anse Indian Reservation is the land base of the federally recognized Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of the historic Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians.. The reservation is located primarily in two non-contiguous sections on either side of the Keweenaw Bay in Baraga County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The Keweenaw Bay Community also manages the separate Ontonagon Indian Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear power plant located in Red Wing, Minnesota

The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant is an electricity-generating facility located in Red Wing, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River, and adjacent to the Prairie Island Indian Community reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Earth Indian Reservation</span> Anishinaabe / Ojibwe reservation in Minnesota

The White Earth Indian Reservation is the home to the White Earth Band, located in northwestern Minnesota. It is the largest Indian reservation in the state by land area. The reservation includes all of Mahnomen County, plus parts of Becker and Clearwater counties in the northwest part of the state along the Wild Rice and White Earth rivers. The reservation's land area is 1,093 sq mi (2,831 km²). The population was 9,726 as of the 2020 census, including off-reservation trust land. The White Earth Indian Reservation is one of six bands that make up the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, their governing body for major administrative needs. It is about 225 miles (362 km) from Minneapolis–Saint Paul and roughly 65 miles (105 km) from Fargo–Moorhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bois Forte Indian Reservation</span> Reservation in Minnesota, USA

Bois Forte Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation formed for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fond du Lac Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation in northern Minnesota

The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota near Cloquet in Carlton and Saint Louis counties. Off-reservation holdings are located across the state in Douglas County, in the northwest corner of Wisconsin. The total land area of these tribal lands is 154.49 square miles (400.1 km2). It is the land-base for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Before the establishment of this reservation, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa were located at the head of Lake Superior, closer to the mouth of the Saint Louis River, where Duluth has developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Portage Indian Reservation</span>

The Grand Portage Indian Reservation is the Indian reservation of the Grand Portage Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, a federally recognized tribe in Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leech Lake Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation located in north-central Minnesota

The Leech Lake Reservation is an Indian reservation located in the north-central Minnesota counties of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. The reservation forms the land base for the federally recognized Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, one of six bands comprising the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, organized in 1934. The Leech Lake Reservation has the second highest population of any reservation in Minnesota with White Earth Nation being the largest Minnesota Ojibwe tribe, Leech Lake Nation has a resident population of 11,388 indicated by the 2020 census.

Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is the popular name for the land-base for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Central Minnesota, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The contemporary Mille Lacs Band reservation has significant land holdings in Mille Lacs, Pine, Aitkin and Crow Wing counties, as well as other land holdings in Kanabec, Morrison, and Otter Tail Counties. Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is also the name of a formal Indian reservation established in 1855. It is one of the two formal reservations on which the contemporary Mille Lacs Band retains land holdings. The contemporary Mille Lacs band includes several aboriginal Ojibwe bands and villages, whose members reside in communities throughout central Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Sioux Indian Reservation</span> Mdewakanton and Wahpekute bands of the Lower Sioux

The Lower Sioux Indian Community, also known as the Mdewakanton Tribal Reservation, is an Indian reservation located along the southern bank of the Minnesota River in Paxton and Sherman townships in Redwood County, Minnesota. Its administrative headquarters is two miles south of Morton. The reservation is located southeast of Redwood Falls, the county seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community</span> Indian tribe community in Scott County, Minnesota, United States

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) (Dakota: Bdemayaṭo Oyate) is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe of Mdewakanton Dakota people, located southwest of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, within parts of the cities of Prior Lake and Shakopee in Scott County, Minnesota. Mdewakanton, pronounced Mid-ah-wah-kah-ton, means "dwellers at the spirit waters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Sioux Indian Reservation</span> In Minnesota Falls Township along the Minnesota River

The Upper Sioux Indian Reservation, or Pezihutazizi in Dakota, is the reservation of the Upper Sioux Community, a federally recognized tribe of the Dakota people, that includes the Mdewakanton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannahville Indian Community</span> Indian reservation in Michigan, United States

The Hannahville Indian Community is a federally recognized Potawatomi tribe residing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of Escanaba on a 8.5755-square-mile (22.210 km2) reservation. The reservation, at 45°46′59″N87°25′23″W, lies mostly in Harris Township in eastern Menominee County, but a small part is located in northeastern Gourley Township, also in Menominee County, and another in Bark River Township in adjacent southwestern Delta County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menominee Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation in United States, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

The Menominee Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in northeastern Wisconsin held in trust by the United States for the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. It is the largest Indian reservation east of the Mississippi River. In the Menominee language, it is called Omāēqnomenēw-Otāēskonenan, "Menominee Thing Set Apart", or alternatively omǣqnomenēw-ahkīheh, "in the Menominee Country".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockbridge–Munsee Community</span> Federally-recognized Native American tribe

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Peck Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation in Montana, United States

The Fort Peck Indian Reservation is located near Fort Peck, Montana, in the northeast part of the state. It is the home of several federally recognized bands of Assiniboine, Lakota, and Dakota peoples of Native Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin</span> Ethnic group

The Ho-Chunk Nation 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 tribe of Ho-Chunk people is the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. The tribe separated when its members were forcibly relocated first to an eastern part of Iowa known as the Neutral Ground, then to Minnesota, South Dakota and later to the current reservation in Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omaha Reservation</span> Indian reservation in United States, Omaha

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 reservation population was 4,526. The tribal seat of government is in Macy. The villages of Rosalie, Pender and Walthill are located within reservation boundaries, as is the northernmost part of Bancroft. Due to land sales in the area since the reservation was established, Pender has disputed tribal jurisdiction over it, to which the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 2016 that "the disputed land is within the reservation’s boundaries."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnebago Reservation</span> Indian reservation in United States, Winnebago

The Winnebago Reservation of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska is located in Thurston County, Nebraska, 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, are also located on the reservation. The reservation occupies northern Thurston County, Nebraska, as well as southeastern Dixon County and Woodbury County, Iowa, and a small plot of off-reservation land of southern Craig Township in Burt County, Nebraska. The other federally recognized Winnebago tribe is the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin.

References

  1. 1 2 "2020 Gazetteer Files". census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census: Prairie Island Indian Community and Off-Reservation Trust Land, MN". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Proposed Terminal Legislation for Indians of Southern Minnesota" (PDF). Department of the Interior. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Meyer, Roy Willard (1993). History of the Santee Sioux: United States Indian Policy on Trial. University of Nebraska Press. p. 354. ISBN   0-8032-8203-6 . Retrieved 2014-12-19.
  5. ↑ "Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 - License Renewal Application". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  6. ↑ Karnowski, Steve (June 28, 2011). "Prairie Island nuclear plant licenses renewed". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.

44°39′05″N92°41′11″W / 44.65139°N 92.68639°W / 44.65139; -92.68639

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.