Located in the southwestern region of South Dakota, the Pine Ridge reservation is the second largest land-based reservation in the United States. Established by an 1889 Act of Congress, the reservation lies on the well-known Badlands National Park and is inhabited by the Oglala Sioux of the Lakotas. Residing in the poorest county in the country, the reservation'
s inhabitants suffer from bad health as well as high drop-out rates and unemployment. In 1990, only one industry, a uniform factory in Pine Ridge Village, employed more than a few Oglala. Since then, the tribe has seen an increase in small Indian-owned businesses including cafes, video stores, gas stations and bookstores.
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