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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 2005)
Spilyay Tytnoo, Warm Springs, Oregon November 24, 2005 Appeals court: Indian money accounting would be impossible WASHINGTON, DlC (AP) - A federal appeals court de cided last week that it was un reasonable to require a detailed historical accounting of money the government has been man aging for American Indians, say ing the bookkeeping chore would "take 200 years." The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with the government and the American Indians in their effort to block a lower court's order for the tally of money owed them. The accounting had been or dered by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, who is over seeing a class-action lawsuit in which thousands of American Indians claim they were cheated out of more than $100 billion in oil, gas, grazing, timber and other royalties overseen by the Interior Department since 1887. In their appeals, the govern ment and the plaintiffs have ar gued that the massive historical accounting Lamberth ordered would cost up to $13 billion -far more than was reasonable. Last week, a three-judge ap peals panel agreed, overturning the accounting and calling Lamberth's decision "ill founded" and an abuse of dis cretion that was not favored by either side in the lawsuit. Appellate Judge Stephen F. Williams wrote that the account ing ordered by Lamberth "would not be finished for about 200 years, generations beyond the lifetimes of all now living ben eficiaries." The issue of how to deter mine what is owed the Ameri can Indians has gone back and forth from Lamberth to the ap peals court during the nearly 10 years since Blackfcct Indian FJouise Cobell filed the lawsuit. An 1887 law allotted land to individual American Indians and provided that the government would hold the land and any revenue from it in trust for them and for their survivors. For 20 years before Cobell sued, sev eral reports criticized the government's management. In 1994, Congress ordered that the money be accounted for. The appeals court said the accounting ordered by Lamberth, who wanted a much more detailed look at records, improperly expanded the scope of what Congress authorized. The judge should have allowed the Interior Department more latitude in deciding how to per form the accounting, the appeals court wrote. Interior Secretary Gale Norton said in a statement that she was pleased by the decision. Scholarship announcement The Intertribal Timber Council has announced scholarships available to Na tive Americans interested in the field of natural resouce study. The Truman D. Picard Scholarship program pro vides $1,800 for college stu dents, and $1,200 for gradu ating high school students. Send for information and applications at: Intertribal Timber Council, attn Educa tion Committee, 1112 NE 21st Ave., Portland, OR 97232-2114. Or call (503) 282-4296. Deadline for ap plications is March 31. Events calendar Bead and Weavers Artists Craft Fair, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Museum at Warm Springs. There is no table fee for the artists. And there is no admission fee. Everyone is invited to come and browse - and buy! No School Day Activity is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2 at the Museum at Warm Springs. Pine needle weaving is the activity for grades 4 and older. There is no fee and the material is being pro vided by the museum. Please call in your registration to the museum Education Program at 553-3331, ext. 407. World AIDS Day: Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise, Thursday, Dec. 1 . Where: Community Center Social Hall. Lunch will be served to all participants. Bring your loved ones and learn together. Sponsored by CHETandTRENS. Invocation at 11 a.m., AIDS Aware ness Walk, 11:15. Lunch at 11:45. Noon: speaker. 1:15 closing. Mylo Jones Thanksgiving Basketball Tourna ment: Nov. 25-27. Mens 6 foot and under plus one. You can have two big guys - only one on the court at a time. Toppenish, Wash, tribal school, Stanley Smartlowit Gym. Information contact Glen or Mildred Jones, (509) 901-2372 or (509) 901-2373. "Thus far, the department has expended more than $100 million in its historical account ing effort and has found ample evidence that moneys collected for individual Indians were dis tributed to the correct recipi ents," she said. Bill McAllister, a spokesman for the plaintiffs, said they were disappointed with the ruling be cause it gives the Interior De partment more leeway in the accounting. They wanted the appeals court to send the deci sion back to Lamberth to decide how to do the tally, he said. The price tag for the account ing is high because the govern ment ignored the problem for so long, McAllister said. "The Indians are being punished twice for this," he said. Lamberth has excoriated the government's treatment of the plaintiffs in past decisions. This fall, he ordered the Interior Department to disconnect all computer systems with access to American Indian accounts. Me said the department's security was so bad, hackers could easily manipulate the data. The appeals court granted the department a reprieve so it could appeal. Earlier this year, the plaintiffs offered to settle the case for $27.5 billion. I louse and Senate lawmak ers say the amount is too high. Economic summit Dec. 7 The Economic Summit follow-up session is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Kah-Nee-Ta. An agenda will be distributed later this month. The initial sum mit meeting was held in Septem ber. The two-day gathering in cluded discussion among 40 leaders from the Warm Springs business community. V X leOutoosl Vour bargain Connection 71 7 S.W. 5th St. Madras Or. mum J M Jf . 1 ' i V ID J I jj (Jjjj r 1 cm m " m ii ii iflir tit j jf. Now thru December 3 1 st http:www.theoutpo&tstore7fcom - ,,,4 CCTTS U 915 SOUTH HOY 97, SUITE D 475-91 1 1 Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. TJo are proud that 90 of all our tires are produced in the U.S. of A. Need help with a legal problem? Legal Aid Services of Oregon provides free assistance to low income Oregonians in many civil cases. Speak with an attorney during drop in hours 1 to 4 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at the Family Resources Center in Warm Springs. Or call us at 385 6944 Monday through Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EruUWy 475-3637 T Complete '"Warm and Serve" Friendliest 4 Turkey Dinner Store m n tn . fl tAQ '"dudes: 10-12 lb Turkey in Town j DCS I & ) V'' Harry's Mashed Potatoes " " Harry's Turkey gravy c . 561 S.W. 4tK Street, Madras Harry's Old fashioned stuffing Serious Locay owned Harry'sapp,ecranbesauce aDOUt Hearthbread dinner rolls "Service" anc' Perated si Baked Country pumpkinpie Pge3
