End of a Landmark Case!
The Obama Administration has settled the Cobell Individual Indian Trust class action lawsuit after fourteen years. What was the beef? Simply put, The U.S.A. decided Injuns had done such a good job in developing Oklahoma in the 1880s, that it was time to take it over. The gubm't arbitrarily busted the whole territory into parcels. Those Ind'ns who were sophisticated enough, or lucky enough to get in line when they saw the tents with desks underneath 'em, got putative shares in what was previously their collective heritage guaranteed by the Great White Faja. Said Big Daddy would attend to the timber, minerals, oil, gravel and grazing, etc., and write it all down in a ledger to be shared out to all them (dispossessed) red folks.
Fast forward to this generation. The checks are few and far between, and nobody can vouch for their accuracy and why some get 'em in the mail and others go without. Eloise Cobell (Blackfeet) does everything humanly possible to get justice for shitty bookkeeping and widespread theft. She takes the best deal likely to be offered. Tribal elders all over Indian country get to refill their propane tanks for winter, and can buy their grandkids new clothes for school. Win / Win!
Note: Most tribes don't have casinos, and most of those that do are a million miles from nowhere and don't make any money.
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