Menominee Indian Reservation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Menominee Indian Reservation
Omāēqnomenēw-Otāēskonenan
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Menominee Tribal Hall
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Location in Wisconsin
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| Tribe | Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin | |
| Country | United States | |
| State | Wisconsin | |
| County | Menominee | |
| Headquarters | Keshena | |
| Government | ||
| • Body | Menominee Legislature | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 362.791 sq mi (939.62 km2) | |
| • Land | 355.444 sq mi (920.60 km2) | |
| • Water | 7.347 sq mi (19.03 km2) | |
| Area includes off-reservation trust land | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,293 | |
| • Density | 9.3/sq mi (3.6/km2) | |
| • Reservation | 3,032 | |
| • Off-reservation trust land | 261 | |
| Website | menominee-nsn.gov | |
The Menominee Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in northeastern Wisconsin held in trust by the United States for the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. It is the largest Indian reservation east of the Mississippi River. 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 360.8 sq mi (934.5 km2) Indian reservation in Menominee County, Wisconsin and an adjacent 1.96 sq mi (5.08 km2) plot of off-reservation trust land encompassing Middle Village in the town of Red Springs, in Shawano County, Wisconsin. 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 362.8 square miles (939.6 km2), of which 355.5 square miles (920.7 km2) is land and 7.3 square miles (18.9 km2) 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 Menominee County, Wisconsin 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.
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 Keshena. The Menominee operate a number of gambling facilities. Most of the reservation land is heavily forested.
Communities
| Community | Menominee name | 2020 Population |
|---|---|---|
| Keshena | Kesīqnæh | 1,257 |
| Legend Lake | 1,670 | |
| Middle Village | Nanāweyah omenīkān | 290 |
| Neopit | Neyōpet | 616 |
| Zoar | Saqnawæpaniw | 107 |
Education
The Menominee founded the College of the Menominee Nation, a tribal college, in 1993. It was accredited in 1998. The main campus is in Keshena.
Language
Both English as well as the Menominee language, 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. 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 was 9.3 inhabitants per square mile (3.6/km2). There were 1,027 housing units at an average density of 2.9 per square mile (1.1/km2). The racial makeup of the reservation and off-reservation trust land was 94.1% Native American, 3.8% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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 work has been recognized by the United Nations. Wood from the forest has gone to such places as the Milwaukee Bucks arena, Fiserv Forum. 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.
