Blackfeet tipis. Photo by Bob
In These Times has published the results of a six-month investigation by journalist Stephanie Woodard in which she discovered, not surprisingly, how easy it is for developers to exploit Indian landowners due to lack of oversight by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. According to Woodard, energy developers offer as little as $20 to landowners on the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. Some accept the money because they don't have many options. But Leona Gopher "struggled" to get information out of the BIA in hopes of negotiating a better deal for an oil pipeline right-of-way, Woodard reports. Without help from their trustee, the 15 co-owners of the land accepted an agreement for just $1,850 over 45 years. “We have so many resources on our reservation, so much that others use or take,” Gopher tells Woodard. “Yet we also have so much poverty.” Over on the Navajo Nation, Mary Tom and her family were trying to secure the best deal for the use of their land. They in fact won a court decision, Woodard reports, that prevented the BIA from renewing a right-of-way. That's when the oil company started pressuring the co-owners of the land, some of whom are elderly and, while fluent in Navajo, lack proficiency in English. The BIA helped facilitate a meeting among some of the owners, Woodard reports, but denies forcing anyone to agree to a deal. “At no time did BIA pressure anyone to sign or not sign,” BIA spokesperson Nedra Darling told Woodard. The company's offer of $6,656 runs for 20 years and must be split about 48 co-owners, Woodard reports. Read More on the Story:
Special Investigation by Investigation by Stephanie Woodard: How the U.S. Government Is Helping Corporations Plunder Native Land (In These Times 9/6)
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