Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation (2024)

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation
Basic facts
Location:	Bannock, Bingham, Caribou and Power Counties, Idaho
Type:	Federally Recognized Tribe
Top official:	Blaine Edmo, Chairman
Website:	Official website

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation are a federally recognized group of Native American tribes. The Shoshone-Bannock tribal reservation is located in southeastern Idaho in Bannock, Bingham, Caribou and Power counties. The reservation is approximately 521,519 acres and is home to a population of roughly 4,038 Native American residents.^[1][2]

History

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation are composed of the eastern and western bands of the Northern Shoshone and the Bannock bands, also known as the Northern Paiutes.^[3] These tribes, prior to the 19th century, occupied modern-day Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and southern British Columbia, Canada. After leaving Nevada and Utah, the Northern Paiutes became the Bannocks in the 1600s.^[3]

In 1834, Fort Hall was established as a trading post. Serving as a stopping point for westward-bound settlers. Those operating Fort Hall and the pioneers had strained relations with the tribes. In 1863, a group of volunteer soldiers killed over 200 Shoshones at Bear River, Idaho. In 1864, the U.S. government drafted the Treaty of Soda Springs which would have confined the tribes to a reservation, but the treaty was never ratified.^[3] In 1867 an Executive order established the Fort Hall Reservation, which was followed, in 1868, by the Treaty of Fort Bridger. While the treaty established two reservations, each for the Shoshone and the Bannock, the U.S. government, however, combined the two tribes. While initially, the tribes were permitted to hunt off the reservation, pioneer settlers opposed this and, in 1878, the Bannock Wars began. The wars resulted in the Northern Shoshone tribe joining the Bannocks and other Shoshone tribes at Fort Hall.^[3]

In order to settle the town of Pocatello, Idaho, the tribes were forced to give up 1,800 acres in 1888 and, in 1900, the tribes were forced to cede another 420,000 acres for $600,000 to accommodate the urban growth of the city. The Dawes Act of 1887 began the process of land allotments among the tribal members, in which 347,000 were divided among 1,863 members. However, the distribution eventually resulted in individual sale of lands to non-natives and the loss of 36,000 acres by 1914.^[3]

In 1936, a tribal constitution and bylaws were approved under the provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. By 1992, according to the tribes' website, 96 percent of the Fort Hall Reservation is under tribal control. As of 2015, the tribe owns roughly 251, 890 acres of the total 546,500 acres.^[3]

Native American governance

Lands designated as federally recognized tribal reservations are considered sovereign nations and, as such, are governed by tribal councils. Tribal councils oversee the management of the land's natural resources as well as the health and education of the people living on the reservation. The council also manages law enforcement, economic development, and cultural and social functions.^[1]

Federal Indian Law is defined by four key issues:

• Tribes are independent and have a right to self-govern.^[1]
• Tribal independence is subject to the acts of Congress, who may modify or regulate tribal status.^[1]
• Only the federal government is authorized to regulate and monitor tribes, not local governments.^[1]
• The federal government is obligated and has the responsibility to protect tribes and their property.^[4]

Tribal government

Generally, tribal councils are elected, with each person serving a set number of years. While the council may pass laws and ordinances governing the tribe, such acts are subject to review by the secretary of the interior. Tribal councils are often headed up by an appointed or elected chairman or governor whose job it is to oversee the council.^[1]

The Shoshone-Bannock tribes' administrative body consists of two primary offices: the Executive Director's Office and the Tribal Business Council. The Executive Director's Office oversees the governmental departments, which include the following:^[5]

Economic impact

Tribes are permitted to participate in economic development in a corporate form and "create perpetual membership corporations encompassing all tribal members."^[1] The secretary of the interior must approve any efforts to commit tribal income or enter into leases.^[1]

In 1988, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was passed by the 100th Congress—stipulating that regulated gambling was permissible on tribal lands, provided that the state had some form of legalized gambling.^[6] The act led to an increase in tribal casinos, which also led to other ventures, such as resorts, hotels and golf courses. The Shoshone-Bannock tribes operate Bannock Peak Casino, the Fort Hall Casino, and the Sage Hill Travel Center and Casino.^[7][8][9]

The Shoshone-Bannock tribes, within the four counties they occupy, make up 5.7 percent of all jobs, 3.6 percent of all sales, and four percent of all wage and salary earnings.^[10] In 2001, tribal gaming contributions to the Idaho economy totaled $84 million in wages and earnings, $250 million in sales, and $11 million in property and sales taxes.^[1] In total contributions—including gaming—tribes contributed $159 million in wages and earnings, $478 million in sales, $17 million in property and sales taxes, and $6 million in state income tax payments. The tribes generated 7,400 jobs, 4,500 of which were in the gaming industry.^[1]

The tribe also operates the Buffalo Meadows RV Park, gas stations, a hotel and event center, a trading post, farms, buffalo ranches, and gift shops.^[11]

In December 2015, the tribes announced the expansion of the Fort Hall Casino. The new section will be around 70,000 square and have 1,000 slot machines along with a restaurant and lounge.^[12]

Lobbying, politics and initiatives

According to OpenSecrets, since 2011, the Shoshone-Bannock tribes have spent an average of $115,000 a year on lobbying. The lobbying firms representing the tribes are the Mapetsi Policy Group, a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm, and Sonosky, both firms specialize in Native American lobbying. The tribes main area of focus for lobbying has been budgetary issues and land management.^[13][14]

In December 2015, The Shoshone-Bannock tribes signed a joint agreement, a memorandum of understanding, with the Idaho Military Division. The agreement means that the Idaho Air National Guard and the Army National Guard will coordinate best practices with the tribes when using culturally and historically significant to lands for military purposes. This agreement is the first between a Native American tribe and the U.S. National Guard.^[15]

The Shoshone-Bannock tribes expressed concern over the redevelopment of industrial lands near the reservation in December 2015. Tribal leaders stated that they are concerned about air and water contaminants; the tribes argue that the property has around "16,000 tons of elemental phosphorus buried in the soils at the old site. Elemental phosphorus generates a deadly gas phosphine, which migrates through the soil."^[16]

Leadership

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Business Council was composed of the following members as of December 2015:^[17]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms ShoshoneBannockTribeFortHall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• U.S. Department of the Interior
• Idaho

External links

• Shoshone-Bannock tribe
• Shoshone-Bannock Enterprises
• Shoshone-Bannock Casinos
• National Indian Gaming Commission
• Department of the Interior, Tribal Nations
• Bureau of Indian Affairs

Footnotes

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