Prior Lake, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has made a grant in the amount of $125,000 to the Great Plains Indian Gaming Association (GPIGA) of Bismarck, North Dakota. Founded in 1997, GPIGA currently is composed of 28 Indian Nations within the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana. The grant will be used to assist the GPIGA in protecting, preserving, and expanding their treaty rights through legal representation.

“Your understanding and generosity is a great example of tribal brotherhood and concern for one another,” said J. Kurt Luger, GPIGA’s Executive Director. “The donation generously granted by the Shakopee Mdewakanton specifically was used to protect the treaty rights of Indian Nations in dealing with federal legislation which would have adversely affected economic development as well as promoting pro-tribal legislation that would benefit tribal nations across Indian Country.” He continued, “Our gaming industry is just another economic arrow in our quiver. It is critical that the gaming industry as well as other economic development ventures pursued by tribal nations under their treaty rights must be promoted and protected. The donation provided by the Shakopee Nation allows some of the historical, large, land-based tribes who find themselves with many unmet needs to protect, preserve, and promote their economic development strategies without state or federal intervention.”

The purpose of the GPIGA is to bring together the federally recognized Indian Nations in the Great Plains Region who are operating gaming enterprises in a spirit of cooperation, to develop common strategies and positions concerning issues affecting all gaming tribes, to promote tribal economic development and its positive impacts within the Great Plains, to provide pertinent and contemporary information for the benefit of the GPIGA Member Nations, and to draw upon the unique status of those Great Plains Indian Nations which have treaties between themselves and the United States to influence and shape national legislation and issues affecting tribal economic development.

Though not a member of GPIGA, the SMSC supports Indian Gaming through membership in the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association and the National Indian Gaming Association. For more information about the Great Plains Indian Gaming Association, go to www.gpiga.com or call (701) 255-9275.

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