Posted
May 8, 2008

Native Americans Buying Lost Land

Casino profits fuel new push to reclaim stolen tribal commons.

White Americans’ lust for money cost Native Americans their land in the 19th Century, as pioneers hungry to make their fortunes out West continually pressured the federal government to open up Indian territory for settlement through illegal occupation and unfair treaties.

In an ironic twist of history, white Americans’ continuing lust for money is allowing Indians to regain some of their lost tribal commons. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that profits from Indian-owned casinos are being used by tribes to buy back substantial tracts of ancestral lands—not just in Minnesota but also California, New York and other states.