Posted on 06/16/2005 10:25:07 AM PDT by RuthannaK
NEW YORK — The Southampton, N.Y.-based Shinnecock Indians (search) on Tuesday fired the first arrow in their battle to reclaim ancestral lands — filing a federal lawsuit seeking the return of 3,600 acres of prime real estate "stolen" by the state a century and a half ago.
The 1,300-member tribe also is asking for monetary damages — conservatively estimated at $1.7 billion — and 150 years of back rent and interest in what it called "the largest Indian land claim ever filed."
The suit is seen by many locals as an attempt to force favorable action on the Shinnecocks' bid for federal recognition and its plan to open a casino in the booming resort area.
Members of the tribe beat animal-skin drums, shook rattles, chanted an "honor song" and whooped yesterday as their leader, Randy King (search), entered federal court to file the suit.
"This day has been decades in the making. We only seek what is ours," said King, chairman of the tribe's board of trustees.
The tribe wants title to all non-residential property within a 3,600-acre area of Southampton Town — land it claims it was cheated out of in 1859.
The land targeted in the suit includes the world-renowned Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (search), Southampton College's sprawling campus and the elite bayfront National Golf Links of America (search).
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
A few years back the Miami tribe of N.E. Oklahoma used this same tack on East Central Illinois they sued fifteen landowners for 2.6 MILLION acres. At first they said they wanted the land or the money but they didn't want a casino. Eventually the truth came out that it WAS a casino they wanted right at our backdoor. The land they were suing for was in what is called the Wabash Watershed of East Central Illinois. It includes Champaign, Urbana, the University of Illinois and prime farm land that in some cases has been in the family for several generations. By the unpopularity caused by their suing the homeowners it looks like they have changed their tunes and are now NOT suing residential parties as it makes them look too bad. They were extremely surprised when they were rejected. They came in and put on a little show, did a little dance, prayed to the Great Father in their native language and were very surprised when the people weren't impressed by this or swayed to their side. I heard George Tiger state "Gee, after all this that we did I thought that at least fifty percent of them would be for us but there appears to be very few that are".. why was he so surprised? He shouldnt have been. This is getting curiouser and curioser..
Hi Virgil thanks for posting. I would like to report that so far we have fought off the attempts of a shakedown by the Miami Indians. We did not want a casino at our backdoor in Ford or Champaign and let them know. I haven't heard much about Kankakee. I do understand that the Ho Chunk indians were attempting this recently near Chicago. I am not sure how that one came out. You are right about the local people not being rich or arrogant. Mostly middle class, hardworking farm types, or city people from the area of the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana. I was surprised how strong they were in their standing up for what they believed. We had a lot of support by even liberals as they saw the truth of what was going on.
Then this is not about "SHOPPING", it's about "GAMBLING".
no it does not.
Well, if the night is not passing, then at least day will come again.
if the candle is lit, dinner was already prepared.
If it were up to me I would declare all treaties with Indian tribes to be null and void. Individuals should have some property rights and then be treated like any American citizen, no more and no less.
Ah yes, but restrain the nature: it returns at a gallop.
The shinnecock are @ 95% light-skinned black, pretty hard to see the "native" genes.
man who stand on toilet, high on pot.
"The shinnecock are @ 95% light-skinned black, pretty hard to see the "native" genes."
Yeah.
I'll admit that it's hard to get me motivated on this one.
Every pig has his Sunday.
"Actually I have heard Hitlary has campaigned aggressively for the NY Native American vote. They have affectionally called her "walking eagle"."
It's a bit more euphemistic than "waddling sow", I'll warrant.
The Indian vote normally goes Democrat, because Democrats bother to play careful ethnic politics, while Republicans do it rather badly.
There you go again saying those magic words, the COURT should tell these folks.
Well for your information we out in the West banked on honest judges and what we got were activists socialists who screwed the Western states at every turn.
Well you know the Congressional Black Caucus will have their hands out for REPARATIONS real soon.
Don't count on a backlash putting a stop to this kind of BS any time soon.
They should be treated as individual American citizens or deported, no more and no less.
At least the Indians believed that God owned the land and who would dare to tax God?
They worshipped they knew not what. They did not believe in G-d.
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