 The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska was federally recognized and organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. The Winnebago Tribe is a sovereign nation, as recognized by the United States Federal Government. Today, Tribal membership numbers approximately 4,000 people located both on and off the Winnebago Indian Reservation.
The Winnebago Indian Reservation lies in the northern half of Thurston County in northeastern Nebraska. It covers approximately 120,000 acres of cropland, woodland and pasture. The largest community on the Reservation is the Village of Winnebago. The Village is home to almost 30% of the Reservation’s resident population.
The closest large urban centers are Sioux City, Iowa, about 20 miles north of the Reservation, and Omaha, Nebraska, approximately 80 miles to the south. Reservation and holdings extend to Iowa to the east and are not accessible within the Reservation boundaries.
Today, employment on the Reservation is provided by the Winnebago Tribal Government, Indian Health Services, Winnavegas Casino, Winnebago Gaming Corporation and Ho-Chunk, Inc.
WINNEBAGO TRIBE TIMELINE
| 1000 BC |
Migration from Middle America |
| 500 BC |
Migration to Northwest Kentucky |
| 500 AD |
Migration to Wisconsin |
| 1250 AD |
War with the Upper Great Lakes Algonquian Tribes |
| 1635 |
Small-pox epidemics reduce population from 25,000 to 150 |
| 1755 |
Allied with the French in the French and Indian War |
| 1776 |
Allied with the British in the Revolutionary War |
| 1812 |
Allied with the British in the War of 1812 |
| 1816 |
Treaty signed with the United States |
| 1837 |
Loss of all tribal lands in Wisconsin |
| 1840 |
Moved to new reservation in northeast Iowa |
| 1846 |
Moved to reservation in central Minnesota |
| 1855 |
Moved to reservation in south central Minnesota |
| 1863 |
Moved to reservation in Crow Creek, South Dakota |
| 1864 |
700 Tribal members die of starvation; moved to reservation in Northeast Nebraska
|
| 1864 |
Fought with the Union in the Northern Plains War and Civil War |
| 1887 |
Lost ¾ of their reservation during the Allotment Era Signing of the Indian Reorganization Act |
| 1934 |
Termination Period Ends |
| Today |
Nebraska Winnebagos (Ho-Chunks) number 4,000 people |
Compiled from David Smith
Contact information:
WINNEBAGO TRIBE OF NEBRASKA
P.O. Box 687
Winnebago, NE 68071
Phone: (402) 878-3222
Fax: (402) 878-2632
www.winnebagotribe.com |
