Can We Really Call It A Victory?
By Steve Melendez
Northern Paiute, Reno Sparks Indian Community
President American Indian Genocide Museum
A funny thing happened on the way to the latest government scam. It seems that when the Western Shoshone were asked to contribute their ideas on how to distribute the money the government wanted to "give" through the Indian Claims Commission judgment, they threw a monkey wrench into the whole operation.
Carrie Dann went to the United Nations about the Treaty of Ruby Valley of 1863 and got a response that the United States should, "freeze", "desist" and "stop" all actions against the Western Shoshone. Invariably, since the formation of the Indian Claims Commission there continue to be Indians who are apprehensive of white men bearing gifts. They would warn in the tribal meetings, "If you take the money, you are selling the land". The BIA representative present would respond, "If you take the money, you are not selling the land". Here you have a government authority, who is supposedly our trustee, who is supposedly looking after our interests, telling the people, "Take the money, you are not selling the land".
If they were not selling the land by taking the money, the tribe thought, then the government should not have a problem having the clause inserted into the Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act: "Receipt of a share of the funds under this subsection shall not alter any treaty rights or the final decisions of the Federal courts regarding those rights pursuant to the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley."
If they were not selling the land by taking the money, the tribe thought, then the government should not have a problem having the clause inserted into the Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act: "Receipt of a share of the funds under this subsection shall not alter any treaty rights or the final decisions of the Federal courts regarding those rights pursuant to the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley."