Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell display the signed commemorative memorandum accepting the $554 million trust settlement agreement. September 26, 2014. Photo from Facebook
The New York Times welcomes a $554 million trust fund settlement for the Navajo Nation:
The long struggle of American Indian tribes to be fairly compensated for decades of federal mismanagement of their tribal lands’ resources reached an important point last week with an agreement by the largest tribe, the Navajo Nation, to accept $554 million in settlement of long-running litigation over breach-of-trust claims.Indianz.Com SoundCloud: Navajo Nation Trust Fund Settlement Ceremony
The settlement was the latest and most encouraging development in a historic reversal by the Obama administration of past federal policy that rigidly responded to complaints with endless litigation and hollow promises of justice. In the past four years, the administration has negotiated settlements with 80 tribes totaling $2.61 billion in compensation for claims of exploitation and mismanagement of the tribes’ resources that date back more than 50 years.
YouTube: Navajo Nation $554 Million Trust Settlement Agreement Signing Ceremony
The turnabout by the Obama administration should be applauded. Ben Shelly, president of the Navajo Nation, said the settlement was “fair and just” compensation for the tribe’s 300,000 members spread over 27,000 square miles of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The pity is it took decades for the government to recognize the gross injustice and to stop fighting these legitimate tribal claims.Get the Story:
Editorial: Delayed Justice for the Navajos (The New York Times 9/30)
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