A view of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Photo from Northern Arapaho Tribe / Facebook

The Northern Arapaho Tribe sued the Bureau of Indian Affairs and two leaders of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe in federal court on Monday.

The two tribes share the Wind River Reservation and participated in a joint business council that administered programs, contracts and other services there. The Arapahos withdrew from the council in 2014 and claim that the BIA and the Eastern Shoshone are interfering with their sovereignty by continuing to allow the council to make decisions on behalf of both tribes.

"We still think mediation is the best say to resolve things, but one tribe can't run programs for another without its consent," Northern Arapaho Chairman Dean Goggles said in a press release.

The complaint in Northern Arapaho Tribe v. Darryl LaCounte was filed in Montana because the BIA's Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Wyoming, is based in the state.

Get the Story:
American Indians who share reservation face off in lawsuit (AP 2/23)

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Northern Arapaho Tribe withdraws from joint Wind River council (09/11)