U.S. makes deal with Navajo Nation over land use lawsuit

President Obama has agreed to settle a 50-year legal depute between the Navajo Nation and the U.S. government, with a settlement to the tune of $554.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Navajo Nation claimed that the U.S. government mishandled its funds and natural resources for decades, and with the payout, this settlement is the largest to an Indian tribe in American history.

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The Navajo case stems from accusations that the government was misusing Navajo trust accounts and resources on the 14 million acres of land that are held in trust for the tribe, and leased for farming, logging, energy development, mining, and other tasks.

Navajo Attorney Genral Harrison Tsosie said that as part of the deal, the Navajo have agreed to dismiss the lawsuit but are not prevented from pursuing future trust breech issues, or any separate claims about potential pollution from water or uranium.

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly called the settlement a "victory for tribal sovereignty" and announced he would hold a town hall to decide how to distribute the funds.

"After a long, hard-won process, I am pleased that we have finally come to a resolution on this matter to receive fair and just compensation for the Navajo Nation," Shelly said in a statement.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the settlement "historic" and said that it showed that the Justice Department was committed to "strengthening our partnership with tribal nations."

This settlement is part of a long series of tribal settlements done by the Obama administration. The U.S. has made deals with more than 80 different tribes over breech of trust lawsuits, paying out about $2.5 billion in about two years.

The Navajo Nation has more than 300,000 members and 27,000 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, which makes it the largest American Indian tribe by population and land.

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