Fwd: [bangla-vision] Black Hills Land Claim Gains Political Momentum

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From: Romi Elnagar <bluesapphire48@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 7:48 PM
Subject: [bangla-vision] Black Hills Land Claim Gains Political Momentum
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Black Hills Land Claim Gains Political Momentum By Perry Groten Published: April 21, 2011, 9:55 PM   SLIM BUTTE, SD - South Dakota Native Americans think the political winds are blowing in their favor for a settlement in a land dispute that goes back more than a century. They're hoping the White House will play a key role in the return of their Black Hills homeland. It's been more than thirty years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government illegally took the Black Hills from the Native Americans. The $110 million awarded to the tribes has grown through the years to nearly $1 billion. But the tribes have remained steadfast in their refusal of the money. "That money that they dangle in front of us like a carrot, it doesn't make sense, Loretta Afraid of Bear-Cook of the Black Hills Reparations Alliance said. The Black Hills Reparations Alliance says it's never been about the money. Instead, members want the land back, and more say in how the Black Hills are used. "We're going to negotiate with the powers that be, if you will, to take on a co-management plan with them," Afraid of Bear-Cook said. Members of the Black Hills Alliance think they can get favorable terms with the help of President Obama, who has expressed support of resolving Native American land claims. "History shows that every president that ever has had that particular demeanor, or that particular feeling about native people, has returned land," Afraid of Bear-Cook said. While some Native Americans favor accepting the billion dollar settlement, the Black Hills Alliance says tribes should hold their ground and accept nothing short of a return of their sacred Black Hills. "We don't have much to leave our children if we don't get that land back," Afraid of Bear-Cook said. The Black Hills Alliance expects to have a mediation strategy worked out within the next couple of weeks. http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=114064

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