And while the Lakota may call mazacoin their national currency, it remains to be seen whether it will be recognized elsewhere. The move is definitely being watched, though. Mr. Harris has talked with officials from a range of U.S. agencies, including the Treasury Department and Bureau of Indian Affairs, as well as a number of other tribes, and people from as far away as Ireland, Serbia, and Russia.
Its also ironic that this Indian nation would be surging into the newest digital frontier. Unemployment on the Pine Ridge reservation runs north of 75%, per capita income is around $6,000; its the poorest county in the U.S. Yet there was Mr. Harris on Monday, in the heart of the worlds financial center (the Bitcoin Center is a block away from the NYSE), talking about the most cutting-edge, experimental financial technology around.
I have a ridiculously huge smile on my face when I think about that, he said. You cant miss the irony of that.