Elouise Cobell's cookie begins to crumble

Word is that several tribes not listed in these articles are contemplating pulling out of camp as well.

South Dakota Tribes re-evaluating their class action settlement

We do not trust you

It would seem that nothing is perfect, but there is a line between acceptable and unreasonable. In the mind of a reasonable man, it would seem like an unbalanced measure to know that your land was trespassed on for the last two generations by cattle, and now know that you would only receive 500 dollars for that. Is there no accountability to be raised? On the local level we can tell you who's been trespassing, the problem has been the ability to compel the Bureau of Indian Affairs to enforce the trespass provisions in 25 CFR part 162.

"But it's all good now, the Cobell Dream Team has gotten our family $500 dollars for the 70 cattle per year that were trespassing on our land."

And now when rights of way are negotiated with tribes, individual land owners are left to fend for themselves. Ironically after Cobell, the tribes will be the ones to point fingers at tribal members who are on fractionated lands telling the Federal Government to buy them out. And on a bit of a side note I heard a land owner at a Powwow this weekend talking about how you can't extinguish an individual tribal landowner out of his land, but the Federal government can extinguish "reservations, or tribally-owned land." So maybe there is some reason for why they want the land consolidation to go through in some peoples' minds.

Far too many questions exist for the oblivious land owner to truly know what they are getting for their 15 million dollar's worth from Elouise Cobell.

To suggest that time is more our friend than would seem some of our own relatives is grossly understated given what little we know right now.