Shakopee Mdewakanton – Nation's Richest Tribe

The is the nation's richest tribe, according to a story in The New York Times today. 

Each adult, according to court records and confirmed by one tribal member, receives a monthly payment of around $84,000, or $1.08 million a year, the story says.

The NYT got a rare interview with the tribe's President Stanley R. Crooks, who also said there's 99.2 percent "voluntary" unemployment for its 480 tribe members.

While the Shakopee tribe continues to prosper, all is not coming up aces, the story says. Casino gambling in much of Indian Country is now under threat by many types of potential gambling expansion, including recent moves to legalize Internet gambling. In June, Delaware became the first state to legalize "casino-style gambling" on the Internet, according to the story.

An attempt to thwart one aspect of expanded gambling in Minnesota succeeded in June, when officials and tribal officials that will put Canterbury in the top 25 racetracks for purses and ends Canterbury's push to add slot machines in its facility.

Specifically, the tribe has agreed to pay $75 million in the next 10 years, starting with $2.7 million to enrich purses at the track this summer. They will contribute nearly $6 million next year, and the amounts will increase over the 10-year period. 

The NYT story also references the 150th anniversary of the US-Dakota War of 1862, which had been termed a conflict, until this year. During the war, the Shakopee Mdewakanton's ancestors were hunted down, slaughtered and eventually exiled from Minnesota, as the Times put it. The Minnesota Historical Society is commemorating the anniversary with an exhibit.

“The impact of historical trauma passes from generation to generation,” said Dan Spock, Director of the Minnesota History Center. “This trauma still resonates with the Dakota and with descendants of settlers in the Minnesota River Valley.”

"Minnesota Tragedy:  The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862" opened at the Minnesota History Center June 30. Inside, visitors will examine evidence from the war: documents, images and artifacts from the Society’s collections.

The NYT story was being tweeted all morning with simple links to the story as well as commentary:

Nathan C. Martin ‏@nathancmartin

Wha?! Indian reservation casinos aren't a sustainable revenue model??!?? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/09/us/more-casinos-and-internet-gambling-threaten-shakopee-tribe.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120809

Corbin Hiar ‏@CorbinHiar

Shakopee Tribe president brags about his millionaire members' 99.2% unemployment rate. "It's entirely voluntary."http://ow.ly/cQU7m

Randy Hsiao ‏@rhsiao

Difficult to teach their children the value of money?? Feel free to share the "problem" with me. RT @nytimes http://nyti.ms/MkDf52

Lisa Tozzi ‏@lisatozzi

Great Timothy Williams piece from Indian Country on the Shakopees, believed to be the richest tribe in US history: http://nyti.ms/N9VOu5

For the full NYT story, click here.

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