IL HR0830

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation originally occupied homelands in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and northwestern Indiana as a federally-recognized Indian tribe.

The 1829 Treaty of Prairie du Chien reserved two sections of land near Paw Paw Grove, Illinois for Chief Shab-eh-nay and his band, and the 1833 Treaty of Chicago reaffirmed this reservation rather than ceding it to the U.S.

The U.S. General Land Office illegally sold the Shab-eh-nay Reservation in 1849 while Chief Shab-eh-nay was visiting relatives in Kansas, transferring title to non-natives.

The federal government has admitted to violating federal law in the 1849 sale, and current non-Indian occupants should not be held liable for occupying the land.

Illinois House of Representatives supports the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's efforts to regain possession of the illegally sold Shab-eh-nay Reservation land and calls on Congress to affirm the nation's authority, resolve damages, and clear land titles.