LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska had no land — and nearly nothing else to its name — when it regained federal recognition 30 years ago.

"Literally, the first office equipment the tribal leaders had in 1990 was a folding table, a card table, folding chairs and an office coffee pot," Ponca Tribal Chairman Larry Wright Jr. said recently.

Now look: Enrollment has risen from fewer than 500 when its federal status was terminated in the 1960s to nearly 5,000 today, and the tribe has amassed roughly $60 million in property, serving its scattered members — it's the only tribe in the sta...