Illinois is now home to a federally recognized tribal nation for the first time after a decision from the U.S. Department of Interior placed portions of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s northern Illinois reservation land into trust, officials said.
The decision placed portions of the Shab-eh-nay Reservation land into trust for Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, coming 175 years after the U.S. government illegally auctioned off nearly 1,300 acres of Prairie Band’s Reservation land in northern Illinois.
The auctioning occurred when Chief Shab-eh-nay traveled from his home Reservation in what is now DeKalb County to visit his family in Kansas.
According to a press release, the legal title of the land is transferred to the U.S., which holds it in trust for the Prairie Band. This move confirms the land as “Indian country,” ensuring the Nation can exercise sovereignty over the land.
A press release stated that Prairie Band sought the “least disruptive path” to recovering the land for current residents and homeowners, who will continue to retain the title to their land.
While potential uses for the land will be carefully evaluated by The Nation, there have not been any immediate changes decided upon.
“The move to put the land into trust for Prairie Band will hopefully be the first of many steps by the U.S. government to rectify historical injustices against indigenous peoples across the country,” the press release stated.