Makah Nation enters agreement for Cobell land buy-back

Monday, January 13, 2014  

The Makah Nation of Washington has signed an agreement with the Interior Department for the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations.

The tribe is the second to reach an agreement with DOI. It will provide up to $2.55 million to purchase fractionated interests from willing sellers on the reservation.

The $.3 4billion Cobell settlement provided $1.9 billion for Indian landowners who want to sell their fractionated interests. The first offers went out last month to members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

“The Buy-Back Program is one of the clearest opportunities we have to put power and decision-making back in the hands of tribal nations – to stimulate their economies, to determine how to manage their available resources, and to promote tribal sovereignty and self-determination,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a press release.

DOI will deposit a portion from every sale into a scholarship fund. Up to $60 million in scholarships will be awarded to Indian students.

Get the Story:
Makah second tribe in Interior buy-back plan (The Peninsula Daily News 1/12)

Kevin Washburn: Buyback program strengthens tribal relations (12/20)
Audio from SCIA hearing for Cobell land consolidation program (12/11)
Oglala Sioux Tribe enters agreement for land consolidation (12/10)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee sets hearing on land buyback (12/9)
Gabe Galanda: More problems in DOI's land buy-back plan (11/12)
Appraisal Foundation reviews Cobell land consolidation plans (11/8)