John Berrey, chairman of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, recently wrote to the U.S. Department of Interior explaining that contrary to rumors, “the tribe has no plans to seek approval to conduct gaming” on a 160-acre tract the tribe owns in Pulaski County, Arkansas. Berrey said the land will continue to be used for agricultural purposes.
Pulaski County officials have raised objections to the tribe’s application to have the land placed in federal trust. However, Berrey explained the tribe acquired the land because of it cultural and historical significance to the Quapaw people, who were removed from their original homeland in Arkansas to reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma. The land contains burial mounds and significant Quapaw artifacts, Berrey said.
