Spirit Lake Tribe

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The Spirit Lake Tribe (In Santee Sioux: Mni Wakan Oyate, formerly Devils Lake Sioux) is a Sioux tribe and its reservation is located in east-central North Dakota on the northern shores of Devil's Lake. Established in 1867 in a treaty between Sisseton Wahpeton Bands and the United States Government, the reservation consists of 1,283.777 km² (495.669 sq mi) of land area primarily in Benson County and Eddy County. Smaller areas extend into Ramsey, Wells and Nelson Counties. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1998, there are 5,086 enrolled members of the tribe, while according to the U.S. 2000 census, 4,435 members were living on the reservation. The unemployment rate was at 47.3% as of 2000. The largest community on the reservation is Fort Totten.

The tribe currently operates one casino, the Spirit Lake Casino. Formerly, the tribe owned two smaller casinos which were closed in 1996 to make way for the larger facility. The reservation also contains the Sullys Hill National Game Preserve and is home to the tribal college, Cankdeska Cikana Community College.