Leaders of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi voted to remove a memorial to the chairwoman Laura Spurr from the tribal cemetery, Indian Country Today reports.

Spurr, who died in February 2010 at the age of 64, led the tribe during its lengthy land-into-trust battle. Her efforts resulted in the placement of the Pine Creek Reservation in trust.

But her own memorial isn't allowed in the cemetery on the reservation. For unexplained reasons, the tribal council voted to remove the marker at her family's expense.

"The only reason the reservation is there today is because Laura got the tribe its federal trust status -- that was her accomplishment," her husband, Stephen Spurr, told ICT.

Spurr was at a tribal conference discussing her tribe's successes when she died.

Get the Story:
Tribal Council Removes Late Chairwoman’s Memorial From Reservation Cemetery (Indian Country Today 1/12)

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