The Ho-Chunk Nation established a written constitution. It is governed by an elected council. As of 2012, the current president is Mąąšųsga, Jon Greendeer. Since the late twentieth-century, the tribe has developed and operates six casinos in Wisconsin to generate revenues for its people and provide employment: Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Baraboo, Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls in Black River Falls,[24] Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa in Nekoosa,[25] Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg in Wittenberg,[26] Ho-Chunk Gaming Tomah in Tomah, and Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison in Madison.[27] In February 2013, the Beloit Common Council sold additional land next to existing land owned by the Ho-Chunk Nation in Beloit, Wisconsin to the Ho-Chunk Nation for a proposed casino.[28] The council has used revenues to develop infrastructure, health care and educational support for its people. In 1988, the Ho-Chunk Nation filed a timely claim for transfer of the Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP), which was to be declared surplus under federal regulations. As part of their former traditional territory, the property holds historical, archeological, sacred and cultural resources important to their people. It is a 1500-acre parcel in Sauk County, Wisconsin. In 1998 the Secretary of Interior had issued a letter to claim the land on behalf of the Ho-Chunk but, in 2011, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) refused to accept the property. It said it was unwilling to spend monies to conduct the environmental assessment.[29] The Ho-Chunk are continuing to pursue the case, as they note that, between 1998 and 2011, the Army spent millions of dollars in environmental assessment and cleanup to prepare the property for transfer. In 2012 the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) passed a resolution in support of the Ho-Chunk and encouraging the BIA as a policy matter to accept surplus lands as trust lands on behalf of tribes.[29] In 1994 the tribe established Ho-Chunk, Inc., an economic development corporation that now employs 1400 people and has provided revenues to the tribe for improvements to the quality of life of its members. Its success has gained awards for small business, and it has a number of subsidiaries. It has initiated a strong housing construction program in collaboration with federal programs. Its leaders were featured on Native American Entrepreneurs, airing in 2009 on PBS.[30]
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 22:23:32 +0000
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