In his testimony before Congress, John Echohawk, director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), called it “yet another serious and continuing breach in a long history of dishonorable treatment of Indian tribes and individual Indians by the United States government.”
Arizona Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, bluntly called it a “theft from Indian people.”
These men were describing the single largest and longest-lasting financial scandal in history involving the federal government of the United States. The culprit: the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), a department of the Interior’s agency, and its management of Indian money held in trust accounts.
More stories available, I am giving you several links to follow this story.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/1088/natives/case.htm
http://www.monitor.net/monitor/free/biatrustfund.html
Who is Elouise Cobell?
“Bush administration calls for end to Cobell case”
Judge replies the Interior department “has an unprecedented opportunity within its grasp: to take real steps now to redress some of the harm that has been inflicted against some of this nation’s most impoverished citizens”
Elouise Cobell is the lead plaintiff in a federal court case attempting to restore to Indians money which is rightfully theirs. A member of the Blackfeet Indian Tribe of Montana, she grew up with seven siblings in a home that lacked electricity, a telephone, and running water. Today, she is the Executive Director of the Native American Community Development Corporation and Chairperson for the Blackfeet National Bank. She served for 13 years as her tribe’s treasurer and that experience opened her eyes to the mess that the federal government had made of trust accounts and the effects mismanagement had on the quality of life of tribal members. The lawsuit Elouise Cobell brought with others, Cobell v. Norton, is solely on behalf of individuals and families who were cheated by the government and deprived of royalties and land use fees.
Great Ghostdancer, for doing this diary. I would like to suggest a new title however, one that identifies that this is about Native Americans, and I think many people would be drawn to the diary.
I wonder if you would like to sketch out a little more about the issues and perhaps how they affect you present or past, or other Native Americans.
I think you said you live in Cal. is that correct, if so where, and what is your opinion of how this state deals with the issues of Native Americans. I know that we have an ongoing discussion of the gambling issue and I’m not sure if it is helping NA’s or not. What are your thoughts on this.
I will check out your above links later and then no doubt comment again.
Kudos for doing this dairy.
This particular issue has no impact on me personally, as my family was excluded from the rolls of tribal membership way back in the late 1890’s. I am still native american and have great interest in making sure that all native peoples receive what is rightfully theirs. I no longer live in California, I moved to Kansas, job considerations and such. As far as gambling, when I first moved to San Diego back in 77, the reservation looked like a third world slum. With the Advent of gaming, the reservations have built their own hospital, alcohol/drug treatment program, built houses for every member of the tribes and no one on the reservation goes hungry.
The state like the feds is only out to make sure the state gets more than its fair share. lol
hi ghostdancers, I have some articles on this case also saved somewhere from the last several years although they may have the same information as your links. I’ll look for them tomorrow.
I believe I may have even signed some petitions or something about this last year at one time…it’s late at night and I need to go to bed but will try and track that down also tomorrow.
I think diane may be right about changing title to get peoples attention to read this; which I think they should..more like ‘Government continues to Steal Billions from Native Americans’ or something along those lines?
Thanks for posting this, it’s another story that tends to get “disappeared”.