In 1849, the U.S. government illegally auctioned off land owned by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Over the past two decades, the Tribal Nation has purchased some of their land back. This month, the U.S. Department of the Interior placed those 130 acres into a trust, formally recognizing the tribe’s ability to govern portions of their homelands. This is the first time this has happened in Illinois. Reset checks in with Joseph “Zeke” Rupnik, a chairman of the Prairie Band, on their efforts to regain sovereignty over the entire Shab-eh-nay Reservation.

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