S.E. Ruckman: Indian beneficiaries look for answers on Cobell
Monday, March 21, 2011
Filed Under:
Cobell
"To Eddie Jacobs, the Cobell case is personal. He is not just an Individual Indian Monies (IIM) account holder with a number, he said. His grandpa was one of many Creek landholders with land where oil was discovered in the early 1900s. Jacobs’ story is the tale of a grandfather who had his monies siphoned to help pay for a world war.
“He didn’t know about it then,” Jacobs said. “Will he ever get that money back?”
Jacobs was one of nearly 100 landowners, attorneys and tribal officials who attended a series of meetings across Oklahoma on March 14 at the Wichita Housing Authority Iscani Community as part of the notification provision of the case.
Cobell attorneys, Keith Harper, Rob Harmala and Alex Pearl, fielded questions from Indian landholders dealing with the upcoming settlement. Inquiries included attorney’s fees, landholder eligibility, payment dates and claims guidelines. Tempers flared but were easily put out during the 90-minute meeting.
“The deceased people, who are no longer with us, they gave up so much,” Jacobs said.
Attendees nodded, but they had concerns about safeguarding against future mismanagement with the same government agency. Harper, said blame lay with the Minerals Management System (MMS) and not just the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
“It’s an issue we struggled with,” Harper said. “We’ve brought those issues to light repeatedly.”
Comments tended from the practical to the emotional. Kiowa chairman, Ron Twohatchet, said he had fielded calls from tribal members IIM account holders with incarcerated relatives. What happens to their share, he asked. The answer: Any monies that come to those account holders will be deposited in their IIM, officials said."
Get the Story:
S.E. Ruckman: Looking for Answers
(Indian Country Today 3/17)
Related Stories:
United Keetoowah Band assists members in Cobell
settlement (3/18)
Michael Roberts: Investing Cobell money in
Indian institutions (3/18)
Lawyers in Cobell case
discuss $3.4B settlement in Oklahoma (3/17)
So far, a few beneficiaries have opted out of
Cobell settlement (3/16)
Audio from
Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on budget (3/15)
Cherokee Nation estimates 1700 might benefit from
Cobell deal (3/14)
Rep. Gosar signs onto
bill to restrict Cobell attorney fees to $50M (3/11)
Cobell team to hold meetings in Oklahoma to discuss
settlement (3/10)
Cobell attorneys say
fee request not a big issue in Indian Country (3/9)
Bill to limit Cobell attorney fees to $50M referred
to committees (3/8)
Cobell attorneys
criticize Republican bill to restrict fees to $50M (3/4)
House Republicans plan bill to limit Cobell
attorney fees to $50M (3/2)
Key deadline
approaching for beneficiaries to Cobell settlement (3/1)
Dorgan calls Cobell attorney fee request for $223M
'shameful' (2/25)
Editorial: Lawyers the
true beneficiaries in Indian settlements (2/25)
Cobell attorneys facing criticism over request for
$223M in fees (2/24)
Elouise Cobell
discusses Indian trust settlement in New Mexico (2/10)
Elouise Cobell headed to New Mexico to discuss
$3.4B settlement (2/8)
Elouise Cobell to
visit Navajo Nation to talk about $3.4B settlement (2/4)
Cobell team holding meetings across Indian Country
for settlement (2/2)
Cobell attorneys
detail request for $223M fees for 14 years of work (2/2)
Notification process begins this week for $3.4B
Cobell settlement (1/18)
Attorney fees an
issue as Cobell settlement moves ahead in court (1/4)
Shoshone-Bannock landowner not optimistic on trust
reform at DOI (1/3)
Copyright © Indianz.Com
Subscribe