Principal Chief Chad Smith will continue to work hard for the successful passage of the Five Nations Indian Land Reform Act.

Leaders of the Five Tribes support the bill. "Indian people in eastern Oklahoma now hold just one-third of one percent of the land they held 100 years ago," Smith said. "This bill will help keep that land base from eroding any further."

"When this bill is signed into law, it will mark the end of 100 years of federal policy that operated to separate members of the Five Tribes from their land," Smith said. "Congressmen Watkins and Carson must be commended for their efforts to finally bring some equity to Indian landowners in eastern Oklahoma. Restricted Indian land will continue to be lost until this bill becomes law."

June 13, 2002
Watkins’ Indian Land Reform Bill Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C— The U.S. House of Representatives has passed by unanimous consent a land reform bill that the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation calls "the most significant legislation passed for the Five Tribes of eastern Oklahoma in over 100 years."

The Five Nations Indian Land Reform Act sailed through the House after bipartisan sponsorship from Wes Watkins (R-Okla.) and Brad Carson (D-Okla.). The Act would reform legislation that places an unfair burden on individual members of the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations who own nearly 400,000 acres of restricted Indian land.

"The goal of this legislation is to provide the remaining restricted Indian allotments in eastern Oklahoma with the same level of protection that is afforded trust allotments in western Oklahoma and elsewhere in the United States," Watkins said. "The bill puts the Five Nations on fair and equal footing with other federally-recognized tribes."

"I am pleased to have been able to work so closely with Congressman Watkins on this issue, which brings equity to citizens of the Five Civilized Tribes and is important to many people in Oklahoma," Carson said.

Leaders of the Five Tribes support the bill unanimously. "Indian people in eastern Oklahoma now hold just one-third of one percent of the land they held 100 years ago," said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. "This bill will help keep that land base from eroding any further."

The Five Nations Indian Land Reform Act now moves to the Senate for approval. The tribal leaders are now asking Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Senator Don Nickles (R-Okla.) to pass the bill immediately.

"When this bill is signed into law, it will mark the end of 100 years of federal policy that operated to separate members of the Five Tribes from their land," Smith said. "Congressmen Watkins and Carson must be commended for their efforts to finally bring some equity to Indian landowners in eastern Oklahoma. Restricted Indian land will continue to be lost until this bill becomes law."

For more information on the Five Nations Indian Land Reform Act, visit Representative Watkins’ web site or the Library of Congress web site.

October 2002
Indian Land Reform Act Stalls in Congress

WASHINGTON, DC- A bi-partisan bill that would protect the few remaining individual Indian restricted allotments in eastern Oklahoma has stalled in the Senate.

The bill, known as the Five Nations Indian Land Reform Act, was set aside by one of its sponsors, Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), at the request of oil and gas producers. The bill was sponsored in the House of Representatives by Wes Watkins (R-Okla.) and Brad Carson (D-Okla.).

"We were surprised by the objections and the personal attacks by Mickey Thompson, the spokesman for the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association (OIPA), considering the bill only affects about 100 oil and gas leases a year, out of 106,000 in the state," said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. "It makes you wonder if Mr. Thompson is running for U.S. Senate."

Tribal attorneys worked with a representative of Chesapeake Energy, OIPA’s largest member, to revise the bill so as to minimize its impact on the oil and gas industry.

"The bill was not an oil bill, but an Indian bill," Smith said. "We gutted the oil and gas provisions but OIPA is still against it. So why are they against an Indian bill? It is interesting that when an Indian stands up to a white guy, he calls it race baiting, but when a white guy takes Indian land it is called business."

The bill would treat the five tribes like the other 34 tribes in Oklahoma. It would eliminate adverse possession, expensive district court probates and allow Indian heirs with less than half degree Indian blood to inherit restricted land.

"All we are asking is to be treated the same as other tribes," Smith said. "We have 100 years of horror stories of elderly Indians losing their lands. Our people are down to the last 0.2% of one percent of the land we were originally allotted. The skeleton is picked clean. Now, these folks apparently want to suck the marrow out of our bones."

Thompson was quoted in a newspaper article as saying, "We don’t see any reason to rewrite the laws in Oklahoma as it relates to how oil and gas leases are handled on restricted lands. We believe it’s worked extremely well over the last 100 years."

Smith responded, "If you are not an Indian it has worked extremely well." The OIPA has lost support in the past several weeks. Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner, Ed Apple, sent a letter to Principal Chief Smith disclaiming the actions of the other two commissioners and questioning the propriety of their actions.

"In my opinion it was not appropriate for me as a commissioner, representing the commission, to involve myself in the issues of HR 2880 (The Five Nations Indian Land Reform Act)," Apple wrote. "Consequently, I did not sign the letter sent by my two colleagues. Please be assured that I have complete respect for the issues supported by the Five Nations."

The State Chamber, lobbied by OIPA and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to oppose the legislation, has now withdrawn its opposition to the amended bill. The Oklahoma Banking Association has stated that the bill does not affect them. In fact a number of oil and gas companies, upon learning the oil and gas provisions had been removed, questioned the OIPA leaders continued resistance.

"Thousands of Cherokees flooded Senator Inhofe’s office with phone calls, faxes and emails, urging him to pass the bill," Smith said.

"The Five Nations have spent years obtaining the views of a wide variety of interest groups and the bill has been revised countless times to address their concerns," said Principal Chief of Muscogee Nation, Perry Beaver. "I believe that the bill is legally sound and in the best interests of our citizens, while also preserving the rights of others. Despite beliefs of special interest groups, the Nation’s primary concern is to ease our citizen's burden of lengthy probate procedures."

Smith added. "We look forward to working with Senator Inhofe and the oil and gas industry to get this bill off center."