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MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2002

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has sent its draft report on the aboriginal rights of Western Shoshone tribal members to the Bush administration, Newsweek reports in its February 4 "Periscope" column.

According to author Paul Tolme, those who have seen the report declined to comment on it. Experts, however, believe it is critical of the federal government's taking of tribal members' land in an 1863 treaty.

The Supreme Court upheld the treaty and a judgment award that has been refused by tribal members. But the Court didn't voice an opinion on the concept of individual aboriginal rights that was advanced by sisters Carrie and Mary Dann, who defied orders by the Bureau of Land Management to remove their livestock from federal land.

Get the Story:
Periscope: Lobbying for The Land (Newsweek 2/4)

Relevant Links:
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - http://www.cidh.oas.org/DefaultE.htm

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