New York tribes are hopeful their land-into-trust applications will be approved now that the Oneida Nation has acquired a trust parcel in the state.

Tribes were worried following a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said they must go through the land-into-trust process before asserting sovereignty over their ancestral properties. The Oneida Nation subsequently filed an application for 17,000 acres.

A final decision is still pending on that application but in the meantime, the Interior Department accepted an 18-acre parcel in trust for the tribe. The land was a transfer from the U.S. Air Force, so it was already off the tax rolls, but tribal advocates say the move was significant.

"I certainly think it's positive for the Cayugas and all tribes in New York who have moved to have their lands put into trust," Dan French, an attorney for the Cayuga Nation, told The Syracuse Post-Standard. The Cayugas have applications pending.

Opponents plan to challenge the acquisition. They believe the Supreme Court foreclosed land-into-trust applications for New York tribes.

Get the Story:
Land trust could turn the table for CNY tribes (The Syracuse Post-Standard 1/12)

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