View source for Spirit Lake Tribe

{{Short description|Native American tribal organization in North Dakota}}
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group=Spirit Lake Dakota Tribe
| native_name      = Mni Wakan Oyate
| native_name_lang = [[Santee Dakota|Santee]] [[Dakota language|Dakota]]
|flag=
|flag_caption=Flag of the Spirit Lake Tribe 
|image=3935R Spirit Lake Reservation Locator Map.svg
|image_caption=Location of Spirit Lake Reservation
|popplace={{USA}} ({{Flag|North Dakota}})
|rels=[[Christianity]] (incl. [[syncretistic]] forms), [[Midewiwin]]
|langs=[[English language|English]], [[Dakota language|Dakota]]
|related=[[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]], [[Stoney (people)|Stoney]] ([[Nakoda (people)|Nakoda]]), and other [[Siouan]] peoples
|population=7,256 enrolled members<ref name="SLT">{{cite web |url=http://www.spiritlakenation.com/history/ |title=History / Spirit Lake Nation |work=Spirit Lake Tribe |access-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129151930/http://www.spiritlakenation.com/history/ |archive-date=January 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

The '''Spirit Lake Tribe''' (in [[Santee Dakota|Santee]] [[Dakota language|Dakota]]: ''Mniwakaƞ Oyate'',<ref>Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Dakotah Language Institute, Dakota online dictionary [https://dictionary.swodli.com/ Link]</ref> also spelt as ''Mni Wakan Oyate'', formerly known as '''Devils Lake [[Sioux]] Tribe''') is a federally recognized tribe based on the Spirit Lake Dakota [[Indian reservation|Reservation]] located in east-central [[North Dakota]] on the southern shores of [[Devils Lake (North Dakota)|Devils Lake]]. It is made up of people of the Pabaksa (''Iháŋkthuŋwaŋna''), Sisseton (''Sisíthuŋwaŋ'') and Wahpeton (''Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ'') bands of the [[Dakota people|Dakota tribe]].<ref name="mniwakanoyate">{{cite book |last1=Diedrich |first1=Mark |title=Mni Wakan Oyate (Spirit Lake Nation): A History of the Sisituwan, Wahpeton, Pabaksa, and other Dakota that Settled at Spirit Lake, North Dakota |location=Spirit Lake, North Dakota |publisher=Cankdeska Cikana Community College |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-9799000-0-6}}</ref> Established in 1867 in a treaty between Sisseton-Wahpeton Bands and the United States government, the reservation, at {{coord|47|54|38|N|98|53|01|W|scale:500000}}, consists of {{Convert|1,283.777|km2|}} of land area, primarily in [[Benson County, North Dakota|Benson]] and [[Eddy County, North Dakota|Eddy]] counties. Smaller areas extend into [[Ramsey County, North Dakota|Ramsey]], [[Wells County, North Dakota|Wells]] and [[Nelson County, North Dakota|Nelson]] counties.

According to the tribal enrollment office in 2014, the tribe had 7,256 enrolled members.<ref name="SLT"/> At the time of the [[United States Census, 2010|U.S. 2010 census]], 3,587 members out of a total of 4,238 people (including non-tribal members) were residing on the reservation. The unemployment rate was 47.3% in 2000. The largest community on the reservation is [[Fort Totten, North Dakota|Fort Totten]].

==Naming==
Their name was originally the Devils Lake Sioux Tribe and its reservation was originally called the Fort Totten Indian Reservation. In the 1970s, the tribe was briefly renamed the Sisseton-Wahpeton of North Dakota, which caused confusion with the Sisseton-Wahpeton of South Dakota, [[Lake Traverse Indian Reservation|whose reservation also extends into North Dakota]].<ref name="bia1996">{{cite web | title=American Indian Tribe Reverts to Ancestral Name Spirit Lake New Name for Devil's Lake | website=Indian Affairs | date=August 20, 1996 | url=https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/american-indian-tribe-reverts-ancestral-name-spirit-lake-new-name | access-date=December 23, 2020}}</ref> In 1993, the current name of the tribe and reservation was officially adopted.<ref name="bia1996"/>

The name "Devils Lake" is a [[calque]] of the Dakota words ''mni'' (water) ''wak’áŋ'' (literally "pure source", also translated as "spirit" or "sacred").<ref name="RiggsDictionary">{{cite book |last1=Stephen |first1=Riggs |author-link=Stephen Return Riggs |title=A Dakota-English Dictionary |volume=7 |editor-last=James |editor-first=Dorsey |editor-link=James Owen Dorsey |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |date=1890 |isbn=9781404744394}}</ref> The Dakota consider it holy because they believe it is the home of the underwater serpent [[Unktehi]].<ref name="mniwakanoyate"/> The Dakota name is reflected in the name of the Spirit Lake Tribe and the nearby town of [[Minnewaukan, North Dakota|Minnewaukan]].<ref name="williams">{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Mary Ann Barnes |url=http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/collection/ndsl-books/id/16860/ |title=Origins of North Dakota Place Names |year=1966 |access-date=March 6, 2019 |publisher=Bismarck tribune |pages=28; 236 |oclc=431626 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306174851/http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/collection/ndsl-books/id/16860/ |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> European-American settlers misconstrued this name to mean "Bad Spirit Lake", or "Devils Lake".<ref name="williams"/> The "bad" referred to the high [[salinity]] of the lake, making it unfit to drink, and "spirit" meant the [[mirage]]s often seen across the water.<ref name="williams"/> The Christian concept of the [[devil]] is not present in Dakota philosophy.<ref name="williams"/>

==Environment==
[[File:FEMA - 41462 - Flooding in Devil's Lake Basin, North Dakota.jpg|thumb|right|(Devils Lake, ND, June 5, 2009) A road is covered with water from Devils Lake, which has been steadily rising for the last several years, threatening homes and businesses in the area]]The reservation of the tribe is located on the southern shore of Devils Lake, which has been historically the territory of the Dakota people.  The Sisseton, Wahpeton, and Cut-Head bands of Dakotas were relocated to the Spirit Lake Reservation as a result of the 1867 treaty with the United States that established a reservation for Dakotas who had not been forcibly relocated to Crow Creek Reservation in what is now called South Dakota.<ref name="SLT"/><ref name="treaty">{{cite web |url=https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/treaty-of-february-19-1867.htm |title=Treaty with The Sioux – Sisseton and Wahpeton Bands February 19, 1867 |publisher=Access Genealogy |date=November 10, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306235044/https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/treaty-of-february-19-1867.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Because Devils Lake is a closed-basin watershed, the reservation has suffered increasingly frequent episodes of flooding since the 1990s.<ref name="flooding">{{cite web |url=https://www.indian.senate.gov/sites/default/files/upload/files/Fred-Tombar-testimony.pdf |title=Statement of Fred Tombar |last=Fred |first=Tombar |publisher=U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development |date=July 21, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409170700/https://www.indian.senate.gov/sites/default/files/upload/files/Fred-Tombar-testimony.pdf |archive-date=April 9, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> It has lost homes, land and economic opportunities due to the severity of this problem.<ref name="flooding"/> Tribal chairperson, Myra Pearson, appealed in the 21st century to President [[Barack Obama]] and his White House for assistance. Since then tribal representatives have engaged with a multi-agency task force led by [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] officials to develop a recovery plan.<ref name="flooding"/> It was published in 2010 and includes economic and cultural development goals in addition to strategies to combat the flooding.<ref name="flooding"/>

==Government==
===Historical===
{{See also|Dakota War of 1862}}
[[File:SpiritLakeRes1892.png|thumb|right|The reservation boundaries in 1892]]Prior to the [[Indian reservation|reservation era]], Dakota tribal societies were without social classes and government was democratic and highly decentralized.<ref name="mniwakan">{{cite book |last1=Sanstead |first1=Dr. Wayne G |url=http://indianaffairs.nd.gov/image/cache/history_and_culture_spirit_lake.pdf |title=The History and Culture of the Mniwakan Oyate (Spirit Lake Nation) |location=Bismarck, North Dakota |publisher=North Dakota Department of Public Instruction |year=1997 |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227230344/http://indianaffairs.nd.gov/image/cache/History_and_Culture_Spirit_Lake.pdf |archive-date=December 27, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> An individual's status was based on their ability to serve and perform and leaders existed to serve the will of the people. [[Fraternity|Fraternal societies]] played a role in maintaining a government structure known as the council and prior to the reservation era, no single person was in charge of decision-making.

Following the [[Dakota War of 1862]], many long lines of hereditary leadership ceased to exist as several bands of Sisseton and Wahpeton were forced to flee Minnesota into various locations throughout the Dakotas.<ref name="mniwakan"/> Other leaders were killed, deposed or replaced by those chosen by the United States government to act as spokesperson. The U.S. government and the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of Dakota signed a treaty in 1867 that established the Fort Totten Reservation.<ref name="treaty"/> The name was later changed to the Devils Lake Sioux Reservation.<ref name="mniwakanoyate"/> In 1996, the Spirit Lake Tribe changed the name to a more correct translation of Mni Wakan.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooke |first=James |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/17/us/what-s-in-a-name-an-affront-say-several-tribes.html |title=What's in a Name? An Affront, Say Several Tribes |work=New York Times |date=November 17, 1996 |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216040514/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/17/us/what-s-in-a-name-an-affront-say-several-tribes.html |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Historical leadership'''
[[File:Chief Waanatan II.jpg|thumb|right|Chief Wanata II, also known as Chief Wanataan II, 1828–1897]]
*[[Standing Buffalo]] 1833–1864.
Standing Buffalo was born about 1833 near the headwaters of the [[Minnesota River]]. His father was Wichahpihiteton (Star Face), the leader of a Sisseton band.  During the Dakota War of 1862, Standing Buffalo opposed the fighting.  He died in a battle with the [[Gros Ventre]] and [[Assiniboine]] on June 5, 1871.<ref name="mniwakan"/>
*[[Gabriel Renville]] (Ti'wakan) 1880–1890.
When the Dakota War of 1862 began, Renville helped to organize a soldier's lodge that opposed the fighting. Renville was not a hereditary leader but was appointed leader by the American government after serving as a scout for three years.  He helped organize the new Sisseton reservation after signing the treaty of 1867.  He served as chief of the Sisseton and Wahpeton on the Spirit Lake reservation throughout the 1880s and 1890s.<ref name="mniwakan"/>
*[[Sipto]] (Bead) 1834–1921.
Sipto was a hereditary chief of the Abdowapusikiya (Back Drying) Band of the Sisseton.  His father, Hoksinawasteka (Goodboy, 1805–1890) was the son of Standing Buffalo and related to [[Wanata]]an. When Standing Buffalo died, Hoksinawaste was next in line to be chief, but stepped aside for Sipto.  He was baptized Adam Sipto and was the last chief on the reservation.  He is buried in St. Michael Cemetery.<ref name="mniwakan"/>
*[[Cantemaza]] (Ironheart) 1822–1896.
Hereditary leader of the Wahpeton, his father was [[Cloud Man|Mahpiya Wicasta]] (Cloudman). He was elected Elder of the Wood Lake Presbyterian Church in 1883 using the name Adam Ignatius Ironheart. He was able to locate his war-scattered extended family and moved back to the old reservation at Granite Falls, Minnesota to reunite with them in 1885.<ref name="mniwakan"/>
*[[Wanata#Chief Wanataan II|Wanataan II]] 1828–1897.
Waanatan II was born in 1828 to a Sisseton mother who was related to Standing Buffalo. He is buried in St. Michael Cemetery.<ref name="mniwakan"/>
*[[Tiowaste]] (Good House) 1825–1919.
Tiowaste was not a hereditary leader but was appointed leader by the American government on May 23, 1868.  His mother was related to Standing Buffalo and his father was French.<ref name="mniwakan"/>

===Contemporary===
[[File:NORTH DAKOTA 2010 -SPIRIT LAKE INDIAN TRIBE LICENSE PLATE - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg|thumb|Spirit Lake Tribe license plate]]
The tribe has a written constitution and an elected government, with a chairman and tribal council. In 1944, the tribe submitted its constitution for ratification and was approved by the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] and the tribal headquarters is at Fort Totten.

The current chairperson is Lonna Street, whose term began in 2023.

'''Contemporary leadership'''
*Charlie Black Bird (1894–1968). Served from 1946 to 1957.
*Jerome Abraham (1905–1978).
*Ernest Smith (1912–1961). Served from 1955 to 1957.
*Louis Goodhouse, served from 1957 to 1972. Grandson of Tiowaste.
*Claude "Red Hail" Longie, served from 1971 to 1972.
*Evelyn Young, born 1931. Served from 1972 to 1973.
*Carl Mckay, born 1948. Served from 1974 to 1981, 1985–1990. Descendant of Tiowaste.
*Paul Little, (1930–1996). Served from 1981 to 1982.
*Dan Duboise, born 1921. Served from 1980 to 1982.
*Ila Rae Mckay (Hintunkasan Wastewin, Pretty Weasel Woman), born 1959. Served from 1990 to 1991. Descendant of Tiowaste.
*Peter Belgarde, born 1994. Served 1991–1995.
*Skip Longie, served 2000–2004.
*Roger Yankton Sr., served 2012–2013.
*Russ McDonald, served 2014.
*Myra Pearson, served 1996–1999, 2005–2011, 2015–2019.
*Peggy Cavanaugh, served 2019–2020.
*Douglas Yankton, served 2020–2023.
*Lonna (Jackson)Street, served 2023-present.

===Child welfare===
Beginning in 2012, tribal and federal authorities focused on reducing [[child sexual abuse]], which was identified as endemic on the reservation. For years both tribal and federal law enforcement officials had failed to prosecute such crimes. The reservation residents include a high number of registered sex offenders, some of whom have responsibility for children.  Officials suggest that poverty and alcohol abuse have contributed to the problems.<ref name=NYT91912>{{cite news|title=A Tribe's Epidemic of Child Sex Abuse, Minimized for Years|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/us/us-steps-in-as-child-sex-abuse-pervades-sioux-tribe.html|access-date=February 16, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 19, 2012|author=Timothy Williams|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324081901/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/us/us-steps-in-as-child-sex-abuse-pervades-sioux-tribe.html|archive-date=March 24, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Kind Hearted Woman'' (2013) is a PBS [[Frontline (U.S. TV program)|''Frontline'']] documentary about Robin Poor Bear, a woman on the Spirit Lake Reservation, and the severe problems of sexual abuse and violence there.<ref name="pbs">{{cite news |last=Childress |first=Sarah |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/what-happened-on-the-spirit-lake-reservation/ |title=Kindhearted Woman: What Happened on the Spirit Lake Reservation |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS |date=April 1, 2013 |access-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813175131/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/what-happened-on-the-spirit-lake-reservation/ |archive-date=August 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On October 1, 2012, the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] (BIA) took over the tribe's social services program to strengthen protection of children.<ref name=NYT021513>{{cite news|title=Child Abuse at Reservation Is Topic for 3 Lawmakers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/us/child-sex-abuse-at-spirit-lake-is-lawmakers-topic.html|access-date=February 16, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 15, 2013|author=Timothy Williams|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216084458/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/us/child-sex-abuse-at-spirit-lake-is-lawmakers-topic.html|archive-date=February 16, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> It investigated 100 reported cases of such abuse in the first month. In February 2013, the two North Dakota senators and a representative met with tribal officials and members at a town hall meeting at Spirit Lake to discuss reforms underway, including fingerprinting of all adults living with foster children (a requirement that had not been satisfied before).<ref name=NYT021513/><ref name="Heidi Heitkamp">{{cite web|title=HOEVEN, HEITKAMP, CRAMER: INTERIOR, BIA TO HOLD TOWN HALL MEETING AT SPIRIT LAKE ON SOCIAL SERVICES REFORMS|url=http://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=339602|access-date=February 15, 2013|author=Press office Senator Heidi Heitkamp|author-link=Heidi Heitkamp|format=Press release|date=February 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214155919/http://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=339602|archive-date=February 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Because of listening sessions on the reservation, the Administration for Children and Families (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) developed seven priority recommendations to be addressed by child welfare stakeholders at the Spirit Lake Reservation.<ref name=hhs>{{cite web |url=https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asl/testimony/2017-04/native-american-childrens-safety-act.html |title=Testimony from Nikki Hatch on Native American Children's Safety Act before Committee on Indian Affairs |author=U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |date=19 July 2016 |access-date=August 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813111524/https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asl/testimony/2017-04/native-american-childrens-safety-act.html |archive-date=August 13, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Included was a recommendation for the Spirit Lake Tribal Social Services Agency and BIA to jointly develop policies and procedures that encompass all aspects of child welfare services including that foster homes must comply with federal and state safety checks, including background checks on all adults residing in the home.   As a result of the exposure of crimes against children on the reservation, the Native American Children's Safety Act enacted in 2016 amends the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act to further ensure children's safety by requiring Indian Tribes to conduct background checks before placing children in foster care.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/raca/regulations-development-andor-under-review/nacsa |title=Native American Children's Safety Act (NACSA) (P.L. 114-165) |author=U.S. Department of the Interior – Indian Affairs |access-date=August 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119211950/https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/raca/regulations-development-andor-under-review/nacsa |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2019 it was announced that the tribe had successfully completed steps to regain full control of the tribal child welfare program.<ref name="2019children">{{cite news |last=Tess |first=Williams |url=https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/government-and-politics/4572391-officials-see-changes-after-spirit-lake-regains-control-child |title=Officials see changes after Spirit Lake regains control of child welfare program |work=The Dickinson Press |date=February 16, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217130131/https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/government-and-politics/4572391-officials-see-changes-after-spirit-lake-regains-control-child |archive-date=February 17, 2019 |access-date=March 5, 2019 }}</ref> Chairwoman Myra Pearson said, "The transition has been a work in progress but tribal leaders, employees and the community are determined to protect the children."<ref name="2019children"/> She also said it was vitally important for the tribe regain control because children were placed outside of the community while the program was controlled by the BIA; in order for the children to maintain cultural ties, they need to be immersed in their culture.<ref name="2019children"/> The tribe is encouraging community members to study social work at Cankdeska Cikana Community College and they are also working with outside organizations such as the [[Annie E. Casey Foundation]] to establish relationships with specialists in the field.<ref name="2019children"/>

==Communities==
[[File:Saint_Michael,_North_Dakota_General_Store.jpg|thumb|right|The General Store and Post Office in Saint Michael, ND]]
[[File:Photocopy, SCHOOLCHILDREN ENJOYING A WAGON RIDE, late 19th or early 20th century. Original photograph at State Historical Society of North Dakota, file No. TF851 - Fort Totten, 12 HABS ND,3-FOTO,1-13.tif|thumb|right|School children enjoying wagonride at Fort Totten, late 19th or early 20th century]] 
Fort Totten is the reservation's economic and government center. The tribal administration, tribal college and Spirit Lake Consulting offices are located in the community. The tribe's Vocational Rehabilitation program works to assist tribal members in finding employment.

*Crow Hill District, Crow Hill, North Dakota 
*Fort Totten District, [[Fort Totten, North Dakota]]
*Mission District, [[St. Michael, North Dakota]]
*Woodlake District, [[Tokio, North Dakota]]

The historic village of Cantemaza's Wahpeton bands was located north of [[Warwick, ND]], near the edge of East Devils Lake. The villages of Tiowaste and Waanatan's Sisituwan bands were located at present-day St. Michael. Historically the village of Matocatka (Left Bear)'s Wahpeton bands was at Woodlake and Wahacankaduta (Scarlet Shield)'s Pabaksa (Ihanktonwan) bands was located at Crow Hill.<ref name="mniwakanoyate"/>

==Economy==
[[File:Plains bison in North Dakota.webm|thumb|left|[[American bison]] grazing at the [[White Horse Hill National Game Preserve]] located on the reservation]]
The Sioux Manufacturing Corporation, a manufacturer of composite armed armors, is located on the reservation. It is 100% owned by the tribe and is one of the oldest tribal-owned businesses in the country.<ref name="SMC">{{cite web |url=https://www.siouxmanufacturing.com |title=Sioux Manufacturing Corporation website |access-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108100758/https://www.siouxmanufacturing.com/ |archive-date=January 8, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> It opened in 1973 and by 1989, the tribe had purchased the last remaining shares of the company owned by the Brunswick Corporation, thereby gaining full ownership.<ref name="SMC"/> Currently, 75% of the workforce is Native American and their products are created for the [[United States Department of Defense]] out of their 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility.<ref name="SMC"/>

Additional visitor attractions at the reservation are the [[White Horse Hill National Game Preserve]] and the [[Fort Totten State Historic Site]], which is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].  The Spirit Lake Tribe operates [[Cankdeska Cikana Community College]], a [[Tribal colleges and universities|tribal college]] established in the 1970s. The two-year college provides classes in subject areas needed by the reservation and to prepare students for other jobs, as well as strengthening their Dakota culture and language. The radio station [[KABU]] 90.7 serves the Spirit Lake tribe.

===Spirit Lake Casino and Resort===
[[File:Spirit Lake Resort and Casino 2022-07-20.jpg|thumb|right|Spirit Lake Casino and Resort in St. Michael]]

Since the late 20th century, the tribe has operated various gaming facilities on its reservation to generate revenues for the welfare of its people. The first casino opened in St. Michael, North Dakota with the passage of the [[Indian Gaming Regulatory Act]] in 1988 when the tribe signed an agreement with the Governor of North Dakota.<ref name="mniwakan"/> The first facility initially employed 35 individuals, most of whom were tribal members.<ref name="mniwakan"/>  Later, in 1994, the tribe renovated a gymnasium and added a second casino in Tokio, ND. This development created employment for 191 people. The tribe had closed both of those two smaller casinos in 1996 and on June 1, 1996, after a $7 million investment opened the new 49,000 square foot casino at its present location.

The present '''Spirit Lake Casino and Resort''' is owned and operated by the tribe and is located in [[St. Michael, North Dakota]]. The casino has brought new sources of income and helped to stabilize the tribal economy employing over 300 people with 75% being Native American. It is a multi-story facility comprising 82,000 square feet of Gaming & Entertainment Floor and 112,300 square feet of Resort and Hotel on a remote island connected by a 2-lane highway off of Mission Bay, North Dakota.<ref name="dcd">{{cite news |last=EAPC Architects Engineers |url=https://www.eapc.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DCD-Magazine-Mar-Apr-2014.pdf |title=Spirit Lake Casino & Resort Renovation |work=Design Cost Data |date=2014 |access-date=December 12, 2018}}</ref>  After numerous renovations since its opening, it now has almost 150 hotel rooms, a 1,000-seat auditorium, a banquet hall, RV park, gift shop and a four-story aquatic center.<ref name="dcd"/> In 2011 more job opportunities were added when the Spirit Lake Marina and Spirit Lake Grocery store were added to the grounds of the casino. The marina hosts a fishing tournament every summer.

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*[http://www.spiritlakenation.com/ Spirit Lake Nation]
*[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/sio0956.htm Treaty of 1867, Sisseton And Wahpeton Bands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021013433/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/sio0956.htm |date=2006-10-21 }}
*[https://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040427221036/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y Fact Finder]*[https://www.census.gov Spirit Lake Reservation, North Dakota]{{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040427221036/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y |date=2004-04-27 }}, United States Census Bureau

==External links==
*[http://www.spiritlakenation.com/ Spirit Lake Nation], official website
*[http://www.spiritlakecasino.com/ Spirit Lake Casino], official website

{{Indian reservations in North Dakota}}
{{Benson County, North Dakota}}
{{Eddy County, North Dakota}}
{{Nelson County, North Dakota}}
{{Ramsey County, North Dakota}}
{{Wells County, North Dakota}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Federally recognized tribes in the United States]]
[[Category:American Indian reservations in North Dakota]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in North Dakota]]
[[Category:Santee Dakota]]