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FEBRUARY 9, 2001

Citing an 1865 treaty, the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska is seeking the return of the northern portion of the reservation and has filed suit against the Department of Interior and other federal agencies.

But also named as a defendant is the neighboring Winnebago Tribe. It was under the 1865 treaty that the Winnebago Reservation was created after tribal members had been forced from their ancestral home in Wisconsin and were subsequently herded throughout the Plains by the government.

They ended up in Nebraska Territory and the Omaha Tribe agreed to sell a portion of their land for $50,000. Under a provision in the treaty, the tribe has the right to repurchase the land if their new neighbors caused any trouble.

Apparently, that trouble most recently came when the Indian Health Services decided to locate a new hospital on the Winnebago Reservation instead of the Omaha one. The suit also seeks to stop the contruction of the hospital.

Still, the dispute has old roots when Omaha tribal members began to feel they were being treated like second-class citizens by the government after agreeing to sell the land for the benefit of the Winnebagos.

A lawyer for the Winnebago Tribe says the lawsuit is frivolous.

Get the Story:
Omahas Go to Court to Oust Winnebagos (The Omaha World-Herald 2/9)