Western Shoshone land fight heads to Congress

0 Comments | Indian Country Today (Lakota Times), March, 2002 | by Taliman, Valerie

Taliman, Valerie Indian Country Today (Lakota Times) 03-13-2002 RUBY VALLEY, Nev. - The protracted struggle of the Western Shoshone to preserve their homelands spans more than 140 years and includes five decades of costly court battles to prove that they still own and occupy the land. Now their fight moves to Congress March 21 when the Senate Indian Affairs Committee hears testimony on a controversial bill that threatens to end the tribes' legal claim to the land. Senate Bill 958, sponsored by Sen.

Harry Reid, D-Nev., is intended to distribute $121 million awarded to the "Western Shoshone identifiable group" by the Indian Claims Commission in 1979. It does not contain provisions for a land settlement. Sen. Reid declined to make a fresh comment on the bill...