A view of Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation. Photo by Bowie Snograss via Flickr
Landowners on the Navajo Nation have been offered $56.7 million so far for their fractional interests on the reservation. The offers were issued as part of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. The 6,590 landowners who received them have until July 16 to respond to the Interior Department. “Our work with the Navajo Nation and Eastern Navajo Land Commission has been critical to preparing for this unprecedented number of offers,” Deputy Secretary Michael Connor said in a press release. “The vastness of the Navajo Nation and the number of native speakers has made close coordination with staff and the tribe especially important. We are committed to doing all we can to ensure that landowners have the information they need to make informed decisions when reviewing their purchase offers.” But the effort isn't over yet. Connor said additional offers will be going out later this month, bringing the total number of affected landowners to more than 20,000. The total dollar value of the offers will increase as well. The $3.4 billion settlement to the Indian trust fund lawsuit included $1.9 billion for landowners who want to sell their fractionated interests. The Indian Land Consolidation Act requires the federal government to pay "fair market value" for the interests. As of June 3, more than 33,000 landowners have received a total of $743 million for their interests. The equivalent of nearly 1.5 million acres has been returned to tribes as a result. H.R.4783, the law the implemented the settlement, requires the land consolidation fund to be spent in 10 years. The money will run out before the deadline if the current rate of sales continues. Secretary Sally Jewell has asked for options to extend land consolidation efforts beyond that deadline.
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