Progress for Native People
Gaming has made a huge difference for Native families in Minnesota. Learn more about how the tribes allocate resources to help their communities, and where the most pressing unmet needs still persist.
Jobs and Impact
Minnesota Indian Gaming means $2.75 billion in economic impact, 41,700 jobs and $150 million in healthcare benefits....and that's just for starters. Learn why tribal gaming is so important to Minnesota's economy, especially in rural casino counties.
Action Center
Visit our Action Center to learn how state and federal policy proposals might affect Indian gaming, and how you can speak out in support of the working families, rural communities and small businesses that rely on tribal casinos for their economic health.
MIGA was created in 1987 to help member tribes exchange information, address shared concerns, and educate the public, media and elected officials on tribal gaming and other issues of importance to tribal governments. Please explore the web site to learn more about these issues.
Visit our Pressroom for current news and archives, downloadable fact sheets, pictures, audio and video resources, tribal profiles and more.
Are you an Indian issues whiz? Find out by taking our quick quizzes on everything from tribal sovereignty to Indians and taxes.
Scholars believe that about eighteen million Native Americans lived in North America when Columbus arrived. In the first 130 years after contact by Europeans, Native America lost about 95 percent of its population.
Benjamin Franklin used the constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, known to Natives as the Great Law of Peace, as a model for the Articles of Confederation, the precursor to the U.S. Constitution.
The Pilgrims would never have survived their first winter on America's shores if members of the Wampanoag Nation had not brought them food, clothing and provisions. Later, this tribe was almost completely wiped out.
Pipes and tobacco are sacred to Native people, because they view smoke as the vehicle by which prayers are carried to the spirits. Tobacco smoke still plays a key role in many Native ceremonies.
Native Americans do not receive checks from the federal government. Federal funding for Indian programs goes to tribal governments, not individuals. Individual tribal members may share in the funds gained from land settlement or other claims, however.
Indian people pay the same federal taxes everyone else does. They also pay all state and local taxes, except in cases where they both live and work on the reservation. This is a small percentage of all Native Americans.
Some tribes have elected leaders as well as hereditary spiritual leaders. The elected leaders may be known as chairmen or chairwomen, president, governor, chief executive, or simply chief, depending on the tribe's preference.
Native Americans cherish their treaty rights because they see themselves as part of the natural world, not separate from it. For many tribes, family groups or clans are associated with certain animals whose traits are highly valued.
The eagle is considered sacred in Native American cultures because it is said to the messenger between humans and the Creator. Eagle feathers are treasured for their spiritual value, and often handed down from generation to generation. To be given an eagle feather is an honor and a sign of high esteem.