The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation is accusing North Dakota officials of tampering with the tribes’ efforts to collect royalties from oil and gas production underneath a riverbed on the Fort Berthold Reservation. The state says the tribes have no legal claim. The latest grievance is part of an ongoing dispute that has seen the rights for minerals exchange hands four times in the last five years. The last turnover was in February when the Biden administration ruled that the royalties belonged to the Three Affiliated Tribes. The U.S. Department of Interior followed up by demanding that energy companies provide a detailed account of royalties and bonuses from mineral production. The state responded with a letter to oil companies dismissing the ruling and title.
More Colorado River – Tribal Stress…The Hualapai tribal land in northwestern Arizona borders 100 miles of the Colorado River, but the tribe can’t draw from it. The water that serves the tribe’s major tourist center at Grand Canyon West is pumped from the ground, hauled over rough roads and sent through a pipeline. One hundred years after the signing of the Colorado River Compact, many Native American tribes still struggle to fully secure rights in river’s basin.
The 2022 Native Language Summit will take place in Oklahoma City on October 4th. The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of Education and others will host the 2022 Native Language Summit. This year’s theme, “Speaking Sovereignty,” focuses on preservation and revitalization of Native languages.
