Montana American Indians to be briefed on Cobell settlement

Next week, lawyers representing Elouise Cobell will visit several Montana reservations to discuss the multibillion-dollar settlement. Also, please note that Marcella Giles, a private attorney, will be in Missoula, March 23, to talk with allottees as part of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation speaker series, “Lessons of our Land,” at the University of Montana.

Meanwhile, here’s the latest news from the Cobell team:

Information on how Native Americans in Montana can share in the recently approved $3.4 billion settlement of Indian Trust claims will be discussed at several meetings this month.

On Thursday, Feb. 17, attorneys Dennis Gingold and Justin Guilder of Washington will be discussing the settlement with members of the Fort Peck community at the Fort Peck Community College, Greet the Dawn Auditorium, 605 Indian Ave., in Poplar at 6 p.m.

On Friday, Feb. 18, they will be briefing members of the Fort Belknap community at the Fort Belknap College, Little River Learning Lodge, Fort Belknap Reservation, 3 miles south of Harlem at 9 a.m.

Additional meetings are being planned in Montana and will be announced later.

Native Americans whose families have individual Indian money trust accounts or who own individual Indian trust land are welcome to attend the meeting and ask questions about the settlement.

In December. President Obama signed legislation ending the 15-year-old class action lawsuit that Ms. Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Nation from Montana, and other Native Americans filed against the government in 1996.

The settlement acknowledges that the federal government mismanaged individual Indians’ trust accounts.

Under the settlement, the federal government is creating create a $1.4 billion Accounting/Trust Administration Fund and a $2 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund. The settlement also creates an Indian Education Scholarship fund of up to $60 million to improve access to higher education for Indians.

“The settlement represents a hard-won victory for Native Americans,” Ms. Cobell has said.  “Our hope is that these meetings and a public awareness campaign we are undertaking will get hundreds of thousands of Native Americans to apply for these funds. It has always been their money and I am delighted we can finally return some of it to them.”

“The settlement not only rights a tremendous wrong to Indian Country, but it will be a significant help to many Indians,” Ms. Cobell has said.