| Iowa Reservation | |
| Settlement Type: | Indian reservation |
| Subdivision Type: | Tribe |
| Subdivision Name: | Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | States |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kansas Nebraska |
| Subdivision Type3: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name3: | Brown Doniphan Richardson |
| Seat Type: | Headquarters |
| Seat: | White Cloud |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Governing Body: | Executive Committee |
| Leader Title: | Chairman |
| Leader Name: | Timothy Rhodd |
| Leader Title1: | Vice-Chairman |
| Leader Name1: | Alan Kelley |
| Leader Title2: | Secretary |
| Leader Name2: | Anthony Fee |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Area Total Acre: | 12000 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population As Of: | 2017 |
| Population Total: | 162 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Website: | iowatribeofkansasandnebraska.com |
The Iowa Reservation of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska straddles the borders of southeast Richardson County in southeastern Nebraska and Brown and Doniphan counties in northeastern Kansas. Tribal headquarters are west of White Cloud, Kansas. The reservation was defined in a treaty from March 1861.[3] As of 2023, the tribe operates Casino White Cloud on the reservation.
The Iowa (or Ioway or Báxoje, their endonym) Tribe originated in the Great Lakes region.[4] They migrated south and west into Missouri, but were relocated to Kansas under the provisions of the Platte Purchase of 1836. Subsequent treaties in 1854 and 1861 further reduced the Iowa land holdings to the "Diminished Reserve." A band of Iowas left the reservation for Indian Territory beginning in 1878.[4] They became the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. The bands that stayed became the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.
Today, the Iowa reservation consists of 12000acres that are almost evenly divided between the states of Kansas and Nebraska. The reservation includes parts of Brown counties in Kansas and Richardson County in Nebraska.
Located along the Missouri River, the reservation was once approximately 2100acres reservation includes 280acres owned by the Tribe and 210.06acres in tribal member allotments. There were 947.63acres owned by the Tribe in Kansas, with an additional 181.01acres in tribal member allotments. In 1995 Bureau of Indian Affairs indicated that were 1618.7acres of Iowa tribal lands in trust status.[5] Today the tribe reports the Iowa Tribe owns 2707acres within the reservation.
The tribe farms 1077acres, with portions of the remaining acres balanced between in pastures and woods. There is also a haying operation that supports 150 cattle. The tribe also owns and operates Casino White Cloud and a service station, and employs 186 people. As a sovereign nation the reservation has its own police and fire department, tribal court, health clinic, community health representatives, a senior citizen center, and meal site for seniors with a delivery program. The tribe sponsors a Fourth of July rodeo, a demolition derby in August, and the Iowa Tribe Powwow each September.[6]