Elaine Willman, a controversial anti-Indian figure, has taken the top position in the village of Hobart on the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin.
Willman founded a group on the Yakama Nation in Washington that opposed the tribe's sovereignty. She was the lead plaintiff in an unsuccessful lawsuit that challenged the tribe's utility tax.
Willman more recently served as president of the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance, a national group opposed to tribal sovereignty and federal Indian policy. The group is allied with One Nation, an anti-sovereignty group based in Oklahoma that tribal leaders describe as racist.
Willman claims to be Cherokee but is not enrolled in a federally recognized tribe. One of her colleagues, the leader of One Nation, also claims to be Cherokee.
The village of Hobart is located entirely within reservation borders. The village is trying to condemn tribally-owned fee properties, claiming they are not Indian Country. A case is pending in federal court.
Get the Story:Conflict no deterrent for new Hobart administrator (The Green Bay Press-Gazette 3/10) $rl Oneida Nation - http://www.oneidanation.org
Related Stories
Oneida Nation, village at odds over sovereignty
(3/5) Oneidas challenge leader of anti-sovereignty group (9/20)
