Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations facts for kids
| Type | Government program |
|---|---|
| Cause | Cobell v. Salazar |
| Organized by | United States Department of the Interior |
The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations is a special effort by the United States government. It helps Native American tribes get back land that was split into many small pieces. This program is part of a big agreement called the Cobell v. Salazar Settlement.
The settlement provided $1.9 billion. This money is used to buy small parts of land from people who want to sell them. These lands are held in "trust" for tribes or individual Native Americans. Once bought, these land pieces are given back to tribal ownership. This helps the whole reservation community and its members.
Contents
What is the Buy-Back Program?
This program aims to fix a problem called "fractional interests". Imagine a piece of land owned by many, many people. Each person owns a tiny, tiny share. This makes it hard to use the land for anything big or important.
The Buy-Back Program buys these small shares. It then puts them back together. This makes the land whole again. This way, tribes can use the land more easily. They can build homes, businesses, or protect nature.
Why Was the Program Needed?
For a long time, Native American lands were divided up. This happened because of past laws. When a Native American landowner passed away, their land was often split among all their children. Over generations, these shares became incredibly small.
Sometimes, hundreds or even thousands of people owned tiny parts of one piece of land. This made it very difficult to manage or develop the land. The Cobell v. Salazar lawsuit helped bring attention to this issue. It led to the creation of this program.
How Does the Program Work?
The program offers to buy these small land shares. It buys them from people who are willing to sell. The price offered is a fair market value. This means it's what the land is truly worth.
There are about 243,000 owners who have nearly three million small land shares. These owners can choose to participate in the program. The program has picked 105 locations across Native Country to work in.
Improving the Program's Reach
Leaders are always looking for ways to make the program better. They want to buy back as many small shares as possible. They might share land value information more easily. They also focus on buying smaller shares first.
Sometimes, they help co-owners buy shares from each other. They also review the list of locations. They might add new places or return to areas where they've already made offers. This helps them reach more people and consolidate more land.
