Elouise Cobell, Moral Hero

Elouise Cobell is the lead plaintiff in the largest class action law suit ever filed against the U.S. government (filed in 1996). Representing over 500,000 Native Americans, Cobell reasonably argued that the U.S. government owed Native Americans hundreds of billions of dollars. In late 2010, Cobell settled for $3.4 billion to provide at least some recompense to the older Native Americans who were sadly dying every day without receiving any justice in this regard.

In 1887, the U.S. government tried to break up Native American Nations/Tribes by dividing tribal owned land into individual Indian accounts, and/or trust funds, for which the U.S. government supposedly served as trustee. While serving as treasurer of the Blackfeet Nation Indian Tribe (and building the Blackfeet National Bank, which turned into the Native American Bank and is a marvelous story in its own right), Cobell noticed how clearly the U.S. government continually failed to serve as minimally responsible trustees, in some cases stealing funds themselves, in other cases leasing Indian property to corporations and allowing the corporations to steal Indian funds, and in most all cases generally mismanaging the Indian accounts/trust funds in the most egregious ways. After much stonewalling and criminal defiance from Washington D.C., Cobell filed what became the largest class action ever against the U.S. government.

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Here is a promotional video clip for the documentary “Cobell v.” (formerly titled, “Broken Promises”)

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Here is a concise and slightly apposite press release from the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

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Here is the official website for the settlement

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Below are four pieces covering this matter from Mother Jones:

Elouise Cobell’s Bittersweet Victory, 12/8/2009

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Cobell, Native Leaders Reject Bush Proposal, Seek Resolution From Congress, 3/29/2007

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Bush Administration Proposes Pennies On the Dollar In Settlement To Indians, 3/9/2007

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Accounting Coup, 9,10/2005

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Below are four pieces covering this matter from Democracy Now with Amy Goodman:

Federal Judge Rules US Government Owes Group of Native Americans $455 Million for Unpaid Royalties on Drilling for Oil and Gas, 8/12/2008

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Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance to Economic Globalization: A Celebration of Victories, Rights and Cultures, 11/23/2006

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Indian Leaders Offer to Settle Largest Class Action Lawsuit Against Federal Government in U.S. History, 6/24/2005

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“The Indian Enron”? Hundreds of Boxes of Documents Destroyed, Charges of Contempt of Court, Billions of Dollars at Stake, Millions Paid to Arthur Anderson: Native Americans Sue the U.S. Government, 5/29/2002

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Elouise Cobell is currently the Executive Director of the Native American Community Development Corporation.

She is now recovering from cancer treatment. Let us all please wish her well.

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[A version of the above is cross-posted at https://sites.google.com/site/davidslutsky/home/moral-heroes]

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