Yesterday it was announced far and wide that Attorney General Eric Holder settled a 13 year old lawsuit brought by Native Americans against the US that dated back to the 1800’s.The case involved allegations that the Department of the Interior had swindled tribes out of leasing royalties for mining, timber, oil and gas.

Under the terms of the agreement, more than $1.4 billion will be distributed to more than 300,000 Native Americans to compensate them for royalty claims.  Another $2 billion will be used to buy back and consolidate tribal lands lost by previous generations

The buy back funds may prove useful as elsewhere in the news and with much less fanfare, a yin to this yang story is occurring.  Many people might think taking Native American’s lands is frowned upon and even discouraged, apparently not. One hand gives back as another takes.  

The IRS just auctioned off 7,100 acres of land (twenty percent of the tribes land) owned by the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. The Tribal land includes an area under negotiation for wind farm development. Although valued at $4.6 million, the 7,100 acres was sold for less than $2.6 million to an undisclosed buyer. The tribal council has filed suit and it should come to trial in March.  

The lawsuit says BIA gave the tribe “erroneous tax advice” around 2003 when it said the tribe didn’t have to pay federal employment taxes because it’s a federally recognized sovereign nation.

“The tribe has attempted since then to pay the arrearages and subsequent amounts as they come due, but has been unable to bring the employment taxes current because over this same amount of time the Internal Revenue Services have levied and garnished various accounts of the tribe making it impossible for the tribe to bring the taxes current,” according to the lawsuit. BIA spokeswoman Nedra Darling said the bureau is not involved in the case.