Three federally recognized reservations exist in Texas: the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas in Polk County, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas in Maverick County, and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso County. All three deal directly with the federal government through the trust relationship that reservation status creates, but each was recognized by a separate act of Congress, and those acts hand Texas more authority over tribal lands than states typically hold elsewhere in the country.1Bureau of Indian Affairs. Frequently Asked Questions
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas
The Alabama-Coushatta reservation is the oldest in the state, a roughly 4,594-acre tract in Polk County about 17 miles east of Livingston in the Big Thicket region of southeast Texas.2Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. Welcome to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas3Texas Almanac. Alabama-Coushatta Texas granted the Alabamas 1,110 acres of reservation land there in 1854, and the reservation grew from that base.4Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. Chief History Federal recognition was restored in 1987 through the Ysleta del Sur and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act.5GovInfo. Ysleta del Sur and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act
Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas
The Kickapoo reservation sits along the Rio Grande in western Maverick County, just south of Eagle Pass on the U.S.-Mexico border.6Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas – Home Congress recognized the tribe in 1983 under the Texas Band of Kickapoo Act, which authorized the Secretary of the Interior to accept up to 100 acres in Maverick County into federal trust. Roughly 125 acres were purchased with funds raised by the tribe and its supporters, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs took the land into trust in December 1985. Because the Kickapoo people have long-standing ties on both sides of the border, the act specifically preserved their right to pass and repass the U.S.-Mexico border.7GovInfo. Public Law 97-429 – Texas Band of Kickapoo Act
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, also known as the Tigua, is located in the Ysleta area of El Paso County. The Tigua were forced south during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, when Spanish soldiers took control of Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico and compelled the community to march more than 250 miles through the desert to El Paso, where they built the Corpus Christi de la Isleta Mission in 1682.8Texas Department of Transportation. Tribal Histories – Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Research Report The Pueblo’s federal trust relationship was restored in 1987 by the same Restoration Act that covered the Alabama-Coushatta.5GovInfo. Ysleta del Sur and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act
Why Texas Holds Unusual Authority Over These Lands
A federal Indian reservation is land set aside for a tribe under treaty, statute, or executive order, with the federal government holding title in trust. Recognition normally creates a government-to-government relationship that keeps state law at arm’s length unless Congress specifically provides otherwise.1Bureau of Indian Affairs. Frequently Asked Questions
Congress provided otherwise for all three Texas tribes. The 1987 Restoration Act subjects the Alabama-Coushatta and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo to Texas civil and criminal jurisdiction as if the state had assumed that jurisdiction under federal law.5GovInfo. Ysleta del Sur and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act The 1983 Kickapoo Act likewise gave Texas civil and criminal jurisdiction over Kickapoo trust lands, though without the same blanket state-law provision in the Restoration Act. That difference leaves the Kickapoo a broader baseline of inherent sovereignty for internal governance, including a tribal court system.7GovInfo. Public Law 97-429 – Texas Band of Kickapoo Act
Gaming and the 2022 Supreme Court Ruling
Gaming has been the most contested issue between Texas and the tribes for decades. The Restoration Act says that “all gaming activities which are prohibited by the laws of the State of Texas are hereby prohibited on the reservation and on lands of the tribe,” while also stating that “nothing in this section shall be construed as a grant of civil or criminal regulatory jurisdiction to the State of Texas.”9Supreme Court of the United States. Ysleta del Sur Pueblo v. Texas
Texas read that as full regulatory control over any gaming on tribal land. The tribes read it as banning only activities the state outlaws outright, leaving them free to regulate anything Texas merely regulates. In June 2022, the Supreme Court sided with the tribes 5-4, holding that the Act prohibits on tribal lands only what Texas law actually prohibits. Gaming that Texas permits but regulates is subject to tribal regulation and must conform to federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act where applicable.9Supreme Court of the United States. Ysleta del Sur Pueblo v. Texas
On the ground, the Alabama-Coushatta operate Naskila Casino in Polk County, which has grown into the second-largest employer in the county, supporting more than 1,000 jobs and generating an estimated $251.7 million in annual economic impact based on a 2024 study. The Kickapoo operate Lucky Eagle Casino near Eagle Pass, which employs hundreds.
Sales Tax on Tribal Land
Texas grants a narrow sales tax exemption for the three tribes, and it covers far less than many people assume. Under Texas Tax Code Section 151.337, items sold by a tribal council or a tribally owned business are exempt from state sales, excise, and use taxes only if all three conditions are met: the item was made by a member of the tribe, it qualifies as a cultural artifact of the tribe, and the sale happens within reservation or trust land boundaries.10State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 151-337 – Sales by or to Indian Tribes Ordinary retail purchases on tribal land, such as gas or groceries, do not qualify. Texas also has no motor fuel tax agreements with any of the three tribes.
Other Native Communities in Texas
Many Native Americans live in Texas outside these three tribes, some as members of tribes headquartered in other states. Several groups, including the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, have pursued state-level recognition through the Legislature. Texas has no general process for state recognition, and the efforts to date have been piecemeal. State recognition without federal backing does not confer trust land status, eligibility for federal programs, or the sovereignty framework that applies to the Alabama-Coushatta, Kickapoo, and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.