Does the countys position threaten or ignore tribal sovereignty?
The current land trust issue is not, nor has it ever been, a debate about tribal self-determination or governmental sovereignty, and the SMSC’s repeated attempts to characterize it as such is misleading and inappropriate. All of the county’s formal and informal communications with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Department of Interior, our elected representatives in Congress and the Legislature, the governor, and — yes — the SMSC, has stated this clearly: “Whether the Community retains ownership of this parcel in fee status or is successful in its campaign for trust status has absolutely no bearing on the sovereign status, the governmental integrity, or the rights of self-determination of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Community… The Community has — and will continue to be — recognized as a legitimate governmental entity and treated with due respect.” And while the SMSC has charged that the county’s opposition to wholesale trust acquisition ignores federal and co
