Cobell Lawsuit & Settlement | National

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate reach agreement for Cobell buy-back





The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate in South Dakota reached a cooperative agreement as part of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations.

The tribe will help the Interior Department with its outreach efforts for the program. Offers to owners of fractional interests on the reservation are expected to go out later this year.

“The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation has been actively acquiring fractionated lands for over three decades in an effort to reduce fractionation on the reservation,” Chairman Robert Shepherd said in a press release. “The Cobell Land Buy-Back Program will further our efforts to acquire more fractionated lands, increase the tribal land base and significantly decrease further fractionation for our children and future generations. Our previous and continued efforts are made in the spirit of our inherent tribal sovereignty and as a means of self-determination.”

The $3.4 billion Cobell settlement authorized $1.9 billion for land consolidation. Fractional interests acquired through the voluntary are returned to tribal governments.

So far, DOI has extended than $100 million in offers to members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Some $14 million has already been accepted by landowners on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Related Stories:
Rep. Young open to an extension for Cobell buy-back program (4/4)
Audio from House subcommittee hearing on Cobell land buyback (4/3)
Larry Roberts: Answers about the Cobell land buy-back program (4/3)
DOI makes transfer of nearly $580K into Cobell scholarship fund (4/2)
Members of Oglala Sioux Tribe respond to Cobell buyback offers (3/28)
House subcommittee to hold hearing on land buy-back program (03/24)
DOI land buy-back boosts economy on Pine Ridge Reservation (03/19)
DOI announces $100M in land offers on Pine Ridge Reservation (3/18)
Deadline approaches for first Cobell land consolidation offers (1/27)

Join the Conversation