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SEPTEMBER 21, 2000

In an editorial today, The New London Day says the debate over the legitimacy of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is too late to change the historical record and that both sides should be willing to give up something.

Instead of attempting to look into the tribe's genealogy claims, the paper says people and officials in the area should accept that the tribe is federally recognized and should remain recognized.

The paper also says the tribe should not attempt to take land into trust outside the reservation boundaries. Then, the people and officials of the area might be better able to accept the land described in the tribe's settlement act, says the paper.

The Mashantucket Pequot Settlement Act of 1983 granted the tribe federal recognition and settled their outstanding land claims. Years of sales by the state eroded the tribe's original reservation to about 200 acres, until the act restored the reservation to its original size -- about 2,000 acres.

As part of the act, the tribe has given up criminal and civil jurisdiction to the state. As part of its gaming compacts , the tribe has given up 25 percent of its slot machine revenues to the state.

Get the Story:
EDITORIAL: Debate is 17 years too late (The New London Day 9/21)

Without Reservation Jeff Benedict. Read our review. Buy the book that has been causing so much controversy.

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