The Menominee Indian Reservation is an

Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...

located in northeastern

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

held in trust by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for the

Menominee The Menominee (; mez, omǣqnomenēwak meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recog ...

Tribe of Wisconsin. It is the largest Indian reservation east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. In the Menominee language, it is called ''Omāēqnomenēw-Otāēskonenan'', "Menominee Thing Set Apart", or alternatively ''omǣqnomenēw-ahkīheh'', "in the Menominee Country".

Geography

The Menominee Indian Reservation technically consists of both a

Menominee County, Wisconsin Menominee County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,255, making it the least populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat is in the community of Keshena. Menominee is Wisconsin's newest c ...

and an adjacent plot 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 trust ...

encompassing Middle Village in the town of Red Springs, in

Shawano County, Wisconsin Shawano County (pronounced SHAW-no) (originally Shawanaw County) is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,881. Its county seat is Shawano. Shawano County is included in the Shawano, WI ...

. These areas are governed as a single unit for most purposes. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the combined reservation and off-reservation trust land have a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Menominee have no off-reservation trust land except that which is directly contiguous with the reservation. The reservation is mostly conterminous with

and the town of Menominee. Within the county, there are numerous small pockets of territory that are not considered to be part of the reservation. These pockets amount to 1.14 percent of the county's area; the reservation takes up about 98.86 percent of the county's area. The largest of these pockets is in the western part of the community of

Keshena Keshena ( mez, Kesīqnæh) is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Menominee County, Wisconsin, Menominee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the Menominee Indian Reservation, it had a population of 1,257 at the 202 ...

. The non-reservation parts of the county are more densely populated than the reservation, with 1,223 (28.7%) of the county's 4,255 total population, as opposed to the reservation's 3,032 (71.3%) population in the 2020 census. The most populous communities are Legend Lake and

. The Menominee operate a number of gambling facilities. Most of the reservation land is heavily forested.

Communities

Education

The Menominee founded the College of the Menominee Nation, a

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

, in 1993. It was accredited in 1998. The main campus is in Keshena.

Language

Both English as well as the

Menominee language Menominee , also spelled Menomini (In Menominee Language: omǣqnomenēweqnæsewen) is an endangered Algonquian language spoken by the historic Menominee people of what is now northern Wisconsin in the United States. The federally recognized trib ...

, part of the Algonquian language family, are used.

Jurisdiction

The Menominee Reservation is the only reservation in Wisconsin that is not subject to state jurisdiction under

Public Law 280 Public Law 280 (, August 15, 1953, codified as , , and ), is a federal law of the United States establishing "a method whereby States may assume jurisdiction over reservation Indians," as stated in '' McClanahan v. Arizona State Tax Commission'' ...

. This means that the Menominee Nation or the federal government generally holds legal jurisdiction over tribal members for crimes and civil disputes that occur within the reservation boundaries. However, the state still maintains jurisdiction over crimes on the reservation when neither the perpetrator nor the victim is a tribal member.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the combined population of Menominee Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land was 3,293 (including 3,032 on the reservation and 261 on off-reservation trust land). The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,027 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the reservation and off-reservation trust land was 94.1% Native American, 3.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.2%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.2%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. According to the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

estimates for 2016-2020, the median income for a household (including the reservation and off-reservation trust land) was $44,402, and the median income for a family was $46,176. Male full-time workers had a median income of $31,439 versus $34,871 for female workers. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

was $15,249. About 29.0% of families and 33.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 43.2% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 92.0% were high school graduates or higher and 12.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

Economy

Lumber

The Menominee Indian Reservation contains a large forest that has been managed by the Menominee Tribe for over 150 years. About 15 million board feet are harvested from the forest every year. This

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

work has been recognized by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. Wood from the forest has gone to such places as the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

arena,

Fiserv Forum Fiserv Forum (stylized as fiserv.forum) () is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the home of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball tea ...

. The types of trees harvested at the Menominee Indian Reservation include white ash, bigtooth aspen, quaking aspen, basswood, beech, eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, hard maple, pin oak, red oak, red pine, soft maple, and yellow birch.

Cannabis

An amendment to the 2014 Farm Bill authorized cultivation of industrial hemp. In addition, some states have authorized sale of medical cannabis, or marijuana. In August 2015 the Menominee Indian Reservation held a vote on proposed measures to legalize medical and/or recreational cannabis. The Menominee have the only American Indian reservation in Wisconsin that falls only under federal law, rather than under state law

. They are sovereign on their reservation. In October 2015,

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...

(

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

) agents raided the reservation, taking or destroying 30,000 plants. The Menominee said these were industrial hemp plants, the cultivation of which was authorized by federal law. The DEA contends it was marijuana.Steven Nelson,, "DEA Raid on Tribe's Cannabis Crop Infuriates and Confuses Reformers"
'' U.S. News & World Report,'' 26 October 2015, accessed 21 December 2015

References

*Tiller, Veronica. ''Tiller's Guide to Indian Country: Economic Profiles of American Indian Reservations''. Bowarrow Publishing Company, 1996.
Menominee Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Wisconsin
United States Census Bureau

External links

The Menominee Indian Tribe official website
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070626024200/http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-97.html "Menominee Termination and Restoration"

Milwaukee Public Museum The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) is a natural and human history museum in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884; it is a not-for-profit organization operated by the Milwaukee Public Mus ...

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