Byron Dorgan: “This is a case where the Federal Government said to American Indians in the late 1800s: We are going to break up these…”

“This is a case where the Federal Government said to American Indians in the late 1800s: We are going to break up these tribal lands and give you personal ownership of these lands. And then we will manage the lands for you and take care of it for you in trust, and the income that comes off those lands will be yours. We will manage your trust accounts. The fact is, they took control of the lands and created trust accounts. And the Indians got bilked, looted. Grand theft occurred. Let me show one more photograph. This fellow is still alive. His name is James Kennerly. He is a Blackfeet Indian, standing in front of his rather humble home. He is hoping that Congress will resolve this by approving the settlement. His father was a World War I veteran, wounded, disabled in combat. The family lives on land that has considerable oil and gas leases. Thousands of barrels a week were pumped off that land. Years later, the oil wells still continue to pump, but all the lease documents have disappeared. This family lives in a humble home despite having had oil interests on their property.”