The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma is helping explain the $3.4 billion settlement in the Indian trust fund lawsuit to its members.

Tribal members who need help understanding the settlement or filling out the forms can get assistance. The deadline to participate is April 20.

"What the tribe has been doing – their involvement in this – is only to assist them in filling out the application forms, helping them send any proper documentation they may need for their land descriptions and all of this," media director Sammy Still told The Tahlequah Daily Press.

People with an Individual Indian Money (IIM) account open between October 25, 1994 and September 30, 2009, with at least one cash transaction are a part of the Historical Accounting Class. They will receive $1,000.

People with an IIM account on the electronic system at the Interior Department from approximately 1985 to September 30, 2009, are a part of the Trust Administration Class. They will receive an extra $800, plus additional funds that depend on the type of activity that occurred in the account.

Some people who didn't have an IIM account during the period in question but who had land in trust will receive $800.

Get the Story:
Tribal citizens may qualify for portion of trust settlement (The Tahlequah Daily Press 3/18)

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