Dept. of Interior Reverses Trump Administration Opinion that Stripped Tribal Nation's Ownership on Missouri River

WASHINGTON - On Friday, March 19, 2021, the Department of Interior reversed a Trump-era decision that determined a portion of the Missouri River on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation would belong to the state of North Dakota.

Previously, the land belonging to the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) was upheld through the 1825 and 1851 Treaties, subsequent Executive Orders, a clear, binding decision by Interior's Board of Land Appeals in 1979, and Solicitor legal opinions in 1936 and 2017.

Today, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation said in a statement that it fully supports the Department of Interior's decision to reject a 2020 opinion by former Solicitor Daniel Jorjani that illegally sought to take away the MHA Nation's ownership.

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/dept-of-interior-reverses-trump-administration-opinion-that-stripped-tribal-nation-s-ownership-on-missouri-river