BACKGROUND
The story of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska illustrates the struggle and challenges of all Native American tribes. In 1988, the only businesses on the reservation were a gas station and a grocery store, both losing money. The tribe kept them open just to be able to provide a few jobs. The reservation had an unemployment rate of more than 60%, as well as many of the social maladies associated with poverty.

As early as 1989 efforts were made to identify ways to create jobs and provide money for the tribe. A diving force behind these efforts was Reuben Snake ( Kikawa Unga), a Winnebago political and spiritual leader. Reuben encouraged the tribe to find new ways to provide jobs and to make profitable business entities, while also respecting the ways of the past and tribal tradition and culture.

After changes in law allowed it, the tribe opened WinnaVegas Casino on tribal land near the town of Sloan, Iowa in April of 1992. The casino was an immediate success, providing jobs for more than 100 Winnebagos and generating significant profits for the tribe in its first full year of operation. This newfound wealth was devoted to improving the situation of the tribe as a whole.

Under the leadership of tribal chairman John Blackhawk, a protégé of Reuben Snake, the Winnebagos used the new wealth for improvements on the reservation - building a senior citizens center and a 12-unit apartment building while funding educational reforms, a daycare center, a podiatry service credited with preventing many diabetes-related amputations, a Winnebago language and cultural program and a tribal college. The results were impressive - high school test scores rose while the unemployment rate fell below the national average.

The Winnebago's gaming operation was very successful, but in 1994 the State of Iowa authorized the expansion of gaming in the Tribe's primary markets. The Tribe realized that their gaming operation would be severely affected by these new casinos and knew it had to expand its business operations.

HO-CHUNK, INC. BEGINS
The Winnebago Tribe formed Ho-Chunk, Inc. to diversify the Tribe's investments away from gaming. Our goal was to develop an entrepreneurial company that was able to recognize and develop various economic opportunities and was capable of making quick business decisions to capitalize on those opportunities.

The Tribe initially financed Ho-Chunk with income from gaming operations. However, competition dramatically reduced the income from the Tribe's casino and Ho-Chunk's financing was eliminated. This was a turning point for our company. Without significant funding from the Tribe, Ho-Chunk, Inc. was forced to start reservation-based companies that took advantage of our governmental status and civil regulatory authority. This "make or break" experience helped mold Ho-Chunk, Inc. into an innovative and aggressive entity poised to generate new revenue streams for the Tribe.

HO-CHUNK, INC. TODAY
Under the leadership of Lance Morgan, Ho-Chunk, Inc. has rapidly grown into a visionary global enterprise. HCI operates a network of diverse businesses with operations in eight states and three foreign countries that market products and services in a regional, national and international environment. The dramatic growth of Ho-Chunk, Inc. has benefited the Tribe’s financial resources as well as providing jobs for Tribal members both on and off the reservation.

In fact, economic impact throughout a three-state area has made Ho-Chunk a significant and important community partner that benefits the entire region. As HCI has evolved and grown, so have Tribal economic opportunities. Overall, we maintain Tribally-owned business entities and other passive investments in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado and Texas.

Ho-Chunk has found significant potential for their companies in the federal government contracting arena. HCI companies have developed expertise in working with a variety of government entities to provide outstanding products and services on time and on budget. That strength has led us to even greater growth in recent years and has laid a strong foundation for continued success in the future.

Sixty-five percent of our employees work on or near the reservation and half are Native American. Our management team is on a par with any comparably-sized company throughout the region, and we are proud that our corporate team is primarily Native American.

Today, HCI employs more than 500 people in four major areas of operation, including construction/housing, government contracting, marketing/media and retail/distribution. Our companies are designed to support one another. This strategy allows us to start small and ensures a core of business from which to build.

In 2001, we started the Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation (HCCDC), a non-profit company, whose mission is to make the Winnebago Reservation a better place to live. The HCCDC has exceeded even our best projections raising millions of dollars for community based social, health, economic, housing and entrepreneurial activities. Ho-Chunk, Inc. and the HCCDC have combined efforts to build the Ho-Chunk Village Project, a brand new development for the town of Winnebago, Nebraska. It is stunning example of economic development for not only a Native American Tribe but for a rural community as a whole.

Ho-Chunk, Inc. is a shining example of what can be accomplished when a community of people comes together to build a future. That community includes visionaries who can see the future and how it should be, architects and craftsman who can begin building that future and the financial expertise necessary to monitor, track and sustain the future for all of us, and our children. The vision of Ho-Chunk, Inc. goes beyond today or tomorrow. It focuses on the future to build an inheritance and a legacy for all the generations to come.

We are proud to be a part of this exciting and dynamic dynasty to be handed down to future generations. The success of Ho-Chunk, Inc. is based on its people and their commitment to the future. It is the people of the Winnebago Tribe and the communities we serve who will benefit from the continued success and vision of Ho-Chunk, Inc. Ho-Chunk, Inc. continues to build opportunities with pride, tradition and strength.

WINNEBAGO TRIBE OF NEBRASKA
In 1975, the Tribe was awarded $4.6 million by the Indian Claims Commission for the land it had lost in the 1837 land cession treaty with the federal government. The tribal council decided to use much of the award to develop three programs: land acquisition, credit and a wake and burial program.

The tribe is federally recognized and organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. The 1936 constitution and bylaws were amended in 1968. In 1986, the Tribe reestablished its sovereignty in the area of its legal system.

THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE TODAY
The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, as a sovereign Nation, is committed pursuant to its Constitution,

• To maintain, improve and protect the Tribe;
• To preserve its resources and cultural heritage;
• To create opportunities for its members to thrive and become economically and socially self-sufficient; and
• To promote the harmony of traditional values and beliefs which will ensure a positive course of action for future generations.
  
  

The Winnebago Indian Reservation lies in the northern half of Thurston County in northeastern Nebraska. It covers approximately 120,000 acres of cropland, woodland and pasture. The largest community on the Reservation is the Village of Winnebago. Located on the eastern side of the Reservation, Winnebago is home to most Winnebago tribal members and accounts for almost thirty percent of the Reservation's resident population.

The closest large urban centers are Sioux City, Iowa, about 20 miles north of the Reservation, and Omaha, Nebraska, approximately 80 miles to the south. Reservation land holdings extend to Iowa to the east and are not accessible within the Reservation boundaries.

WINNEBAGO TRIBE TIMELINE

Compiled from David Smith

Contact information:

WINNEBAGO TRIBE OF NEBRASKA
P.O. Box 687
Winnebago, NE 68071
Phone: (402) 878-3222
Fax: (402) 878-2632
Email: info@Winnebagotribe.com
www.winnebagotribe.com