Restore Indian Reservation Lands

To:  u.s. congress

One of the first major violations against the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie (still legal, yet ignored) is the so-called "1887 Dawes Allotment Act" which gave “title” over Indigenous lands to the u.s. government. This was when the Indians got the label of “ward” used against them – they officially became the neglected, abused, adopted “step child” of u.s. government officials.
This act is not only a violation of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution ("Treaties made with Indian Nations shall be the supreme law of the land"), it violates the Nakota (L/D/DN/Nakota; misnomer "Sioux") “communal” manner of living, and the basic rights of women (the act gave each male “head of family” a “grant” of a certain amount of acres of land for their family’s use).
In line with the illegal and immoral intent of the "act", “excess lands” were simply handed over to non-Indigenous “homesteaders”, diminishing the newly declared “reservation lands” almost immediately, the start of waht is called “checker boarding” today.
In the illegal act, when the male “landowner” head of family died, “his land” was divided among his surviving family members. Because unscrupulous government agents and policies made “reservation life” so difficult, many people were forced to "sell their land", which the Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) so eagerly processed – increasing the “checkerboard” effect.
In October 2004, a federal judge “rules” that the government must notify “Indian landowners” before the government seeks to sell property from the “Indian Trust Fund” it manages which collects money from oil, timber, grazing leases, and other “revenue creating activities.” Over the past 117 years, the “slush fund ‘Trust’ account” has been “tapped” by as of yet unnamed government officials (some estimate to the tune of over 70%) who have become millionaires off the theft of Indigenous "trust fund" revenues.
Indigenous “reservation land” has been whittled down to only 10 million acres from more than 40 million acres in the year 1900.
In a 1996 class-action lawsuit filed by an Indigenous Blackfoot woman, it is believed that government officials have stolen over $136 billion dollars. Last year alone, the government paid “landowners” about $500 million dollars from the Trust Fund - yet the Fund generated over $3 billion dollars.
To add insult to injury, in 1993, senator Daschle (a “democrat” and recently thought of “ally” of “Indians in South Dakota”) sponsored legislation, which stole leasing rights from individual “landowners” and placed them into the control of “tribal councils.” This illegal “Indian Agricultural Resources Management Act” was also fully supported by another democrat, senator Inouye from Hawaii – yet another Indian “friend.”
The list of ongoing, illegal, immoral acts against Indigenous Red Nations and Peoples by ruthless government officials continues against the nationhood of the Red Race – yet they are encouraged to “vote” and act like “good Americans” all the while their lands and rights diminish before their very eyes.
Congress must adopt a law which totally restores the “Original Reservation Lands” of each "American Indian Reservation within the United States of America" to its original size, acreage, and under the authority and care of, by, and to its original owner, the Indigenous Red “Indian” Nation (previously referred to as an “American Indian Tribe”) to which the land was initially and originally specified and agreed to. The “Indian ‘Original Reservation Lands’ Restoration Act HR/S1851R” (or similar such bill) would relinquish and properly and adequately relocate any and all claims to those lands and areas by non-Indigenous entities such as squatters, homesteaders, u.s. citizens, the National Park Service, the Departments of War/Defense/Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, and any other federal government agency, bureau, department, or official.
The purposes of a bill like HR/S1851R would be to
a) return all original reservation lands to their previous and original owner, the American Indian tribe who the land was originally and initially granted to
b) remove and relocate any and all squatters, homesteaders, U.S. citizens, the National Park Service, the Department of War/Defense/Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, and any other federal government agency, bureau, department, or official
c) develop and enhance positive relationships between the United States and Indigenous Red “Indian” Nations and Peoples with respect to inherent Indigenous lands, homelands and Treaty territories originally agreed upon and designated by federal authority, and
d) to provide for adequate amounts of land necessary to accommodate the rapidly growing Indigenous population and their necessary lands conducive to spiritual and economic needs.

The draft bill HR/S1851R can be viewed in its entirety at www.1851Treaty.com and we demand legislators and the president of the u.s. immediately adopt and implement such law.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Restore Indian Reservation Lands Petition to u.s. congress was created by 1851 Treaty Supporters and written by Scott Barta (scott@1851Treaty.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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