The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon was carved out of a reservation originally set aside for the ancestors of the Burns Paiute Tribe. Photo from Facebook
Some members of the Burns Paiute Tribe in Oregon want the federal government to take another look at a land claim judgment they received for the taking of 1.78 million acres. President Ulysses S. Grant created the Malheur Reservation by executive order in 1872. But the government forced the tribe's ancestors to Washington following the Bannock War in 1878. When the Northern Paiute people finally returned to Oregon, the land was gone. The tribe eventually went to the Indian Claims Commission and 850 members received just $743.20 in 1969 to resolve the taking of the original reservation, The Oregonian reported. "I figured, maybe this is a good time to raise the issue one last time," tribal member Fred Townsend told the paper, referring to the controversy over the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by anti-government protesters. The refuge was carved out of land promised to the tribe. The tribe now lives on a much-smaller reservation of about 800 acres and its members own more than 11,000 acres of allotments. Get the Story:
Burns Paiutes to Ammon Bundy: You're not the victim (The Oregonian 2/7)
Join the Conversation
Related Stories
Steve Russell: Cowboy legal
scholars fail big on federal Indian law (02/02) Four people remain at refuge in Oregon as FBI defends shooting (1/29)
Leader of armed takeover tells followers to leave federal refuge (1/28)
Steven Newcomb: Federal refuge belongs to Burns Paiute Tribe (1/28)
Siletz Tribe disavows video showing artifacts at refuge in Oregon (1/27)
Steve Russell: Bundys finally ousted from Paiute ancestral lands (1/27)
Leaders of armed takeover at federal refuge arrested after death (1/27)
Burns Paiute Tribe asks DOJ to end occupation of ancestral land (1/26)
Andrew Rosenthal: Armed group pulls stunt with tribal artifacts (1/22)
Jacqueline Keeler: Burns Paiute Tribe concerned about artifacts (1/19)
Cari Carpenter: Sarah Winnemucca sought return of Paiute land (1/18)
Alex Jacobs: White militia sitcom plays out on Indian territory (1/15)
Armed group willing to turn over artifacts to Burns Paiute Tribe (1/15)
Albert Bender: Occupied land still belongs to Burns Paiute Tribe (1/13)
Jacqueline Keeler: Burns Paiute Tribe frustrated by armed group (1/12)
Jim Patterson: Burns Paiute Tribe perseveres despite pressures (1/12)
Steve Russell: Armed 'patriots' at odds with Burns Paiute Tribe (1/11)
Gyasi Ross: Crazy White people have turned into the new Indians (1/8)
Jacqueline Keeler: Paiute ancestors were forced on Trail of Tears (1/8)
Peter d'Errico: Armed White men invade Indian lands in Oregon (1/8)
Federal agencies closed offices in Oregon amid safety concerns (1/8)
House Democrats call for armed group to leave refuge in Oregon (1/7)
Charlotte Rodrique: Land rightfully belongs to Burns Paiute Tribe (1/7)
Burns Paiute Tribe tells armed group to leave ancestral territory (1/7)
Burns Paiute Tribe not happy with armed group on ancestral land (1/6)
Armed group wants more to join protest on ancestral Paiute land (1/5)
Armed group occupies wildlife refuge near reservation in Oregon (1/4)