Tom Udall: “The Five Nations Citizens Land Reform Act of 2000 is a significant Indian land bill affecting the restricted allotments…”

“The Five Nations Citizens Land Reform Act of 2000 is a significant Indian land bill affecting the restricted allotments of members of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Nations in eastern Oklahoma. This legislation would bring equity and fairness to the Indian people who own allotted lands of the Five Great Indian Nations in eastern Oklahoma. For much of the 20th century, these people have been the subject of special laws applicable only to their lands that are unlike any other Federal laws on Indian lands. Many of these laws have provided much less protection to the Indian lands in Oklahoma than is afforded in the rest of the country. Under current Federal law, the allotted lands of the Five Civilized Tribes are subject to the State law of adverse possession, the result of which has been loss of land owned by many individual Indians. This legislation would bring law affecting the Oklahoma lands in line with land owned by tribes living in the rest of the States.”