The Cobell Case and Indian Reservation Ownership

See on Scoop.it – 500 Nations

“The Cobell Case, known my many different names, was a class action suit filed by Native American representatives against two departments of the United States government. …”

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“If you thought that the Indians “owned” the reservations outright, they didn’t. Even in earlier circumstances, in the early 1700s in North Carolina, the Tuscarora Indians were required to obtain approval of the legislature before they could “sell” their reservation lands. By that time, there had already been too many examples of Indians being taken advantage of, especially after becoming under the influence of alcohol, and signing their lands away. In addition, they didn’t understand the concept of value in terms of monetary value as compared to similar land elsewhere. Unethical people were all too willing and ready to take advantage of the Indians, often under the guise of “brotherhood,” so these laws were originally put in place to protect them, both from those who would be less than honest with them as well as from their own ignorance of white man’s society.”
See on nativeheritageproject.com