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Tribal Economies

Pump jacks on well pad sites such as these in December 2020 are a common scene in western North Dakota, where more than 16,000 wells have been drilled since 2007. The Bakken and Three Forks shale formations have made the state the second-highest producer of oil in the United States. It’s estimated that 20 percent of oil production occurs within the Fort Berthold Reservation. (Photo by Jodi Rave Spotted Bear/Buffalo's Fire)
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Boom or Bust: Oil industry hits North Dakota

By Jodi Rave Spotted BearApr 7, 2022
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has expanded its agriculture enterprises from a small farm to nearly 6,000 acres after the purchase of ranchlands in 2021 near Okmulgee, Oklahoma. It is the largest known land acquisition in the tribe's history. (Photo by Morgan Taylor/Mvskoke Media)
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‘Reservation worthy’ cattle operation expands tribal enterprise

By Mvskoke MediaApr 6, 2022
The Spokane Tribe's administration building in Wellpinit, Washington, is at the center of efforts to help citizens find jobs and get back to work. Federal and tribal policies can make it more costly for some to stay unemployed than to take a low-paying job. (Photo by Monica Peone/Rawhide Press/File Photo)
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Work Penalties: Jobs can cost more than being unemployed

By Rawhide PressApr 6, 2022
The construction project to build the Kayenta solar farms on the Navajo Nation, shown here in 2018, employed hundreds of people, nearly 90 percent of whom were Navajo citizens. Renewable energy is drawing increasing attention from tribes and others as a way to build jobs for the future. (Photo courtesy of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority/Navajo Nation)
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Renewable Energy: Jobs of the future

By InvestigateWestApr 6, 2022
Players settle in at the blackjack tables at Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls in Wisconsin on Feb. 9, 2022. Tribes are now weighing how to diversify their economies beyond casinos. “When we see anything less profitable, there’s a thought of, ‘Is it worth it?’” said Ho-Chunk Nation President Marlon WhiteEagle of his tribe’s investment in casinos. (Photo by Ilana Bar-av for Wisconsin Watch)
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'We’ve got to get gaming out of our blood’

By Wisconsin WatchApr 5, 2022
The Potawatomi Fire minor-league basketball team came out strong in the home opener on March 19, 2022, at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma, defeating the Little Rock Lightning 123-93. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation formed the new team, which is the first tribally owned sports team in Oklahoma and one of only a handful of professional teams owned by tribal nations in the U.S. The tribe invested heavily in the venue as well, with new dressing rooms, changes to the scoreboard and Jumbotron, and a new court. (Photo by Rachael Melot, courtesy of Citizen Potawatomi Nation)
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Land and basketball: 'We're bringing the fire'

By KOSU RadioApr 5, 2022
A special report, "At the Crossroads: State of the Economy in Indian Country," was produced through a collaboration with the Institute for Nonprofit News, Indian Country Today and nine other news partners with funding from the Walton Family Foundation. (Photo by Dianna Hunt/Indian Country Today)
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At the Crossroads: State of the Economy in Indian Country

By Mark TrahantApr 4, 2022