Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Indian trust fund case, was the keynote speaker at the Montana Wyoming Tribal Economic Development Summit in Billings, Montana, on Wednesday.

Cobell urged attendees to hold government officials accountable for their actions. "That money belong to us," she said, The Billings Gazette reported.

The case was filed in June 1996. An appeals court has affirmed that Individual Indian Money (IIM) beneficiaries have a right to an accounting of "all funds" held in trust since 1887. The Department of Interior has not completed an accounting and is disputing how it should be carried out.

Get the Story:
Indian woman praised for trust fund fight; Government still hasn't fixed accounting system (The Billings Gazette 3/25)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust

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