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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2001

A group calling itself the Nato Indian Nation has managed to convince two Utah banks to fork over $367,000 belonging to the Skull Valley Goshute Tribe and give the money to a dissident faction.

Nato, which also stands for Native American Tribal Organization, created its own court and issued its own order. The banks, who aren't commenting about the apparent slipup, then gave the funds to Sammy Blackbear and other Skull Valley Goshutes members who are unhappy with the way long-time chairman Leon Bear has run the tribe.

Subsuequently, Nato has filed a lawsuit claiming all of Utah for the state's Indian residents.

A top official of Nato happens to be named Ron Allen, but is not to be confused with Ron Allen, the chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington and a vice president of the National Congress of American Indians.

Get the Story:
'Nation' Inserts Itself Into Tribal Fray (The Salt Lake Tribune 11/13)

Relevant Links:
Utah Office of High Level Nuclear Waste Opposition - http://www.eq.state.ut.us/HLW/Hlw_opp.htm
Private Fuel Storage Facility Application, Nuclear Regulatory Commission - http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/reports/pfs.htm
Private Fuel Storage - http://www.privatefuelstorage.com
The Skull Valley Goshutes - http://www.skullvalleygoshutes.org

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