�������t¶��

In 1906, Congress amended the law to allow the secretary of the Interior to issue land titles whenever an Indian allottee was deemed capable of managing his affairs.

This led to the destruction of Indian culture; loss of language as the federal government implemented its boarding school policy; and imposition of a myriad of regulations that affected inheritance, ownership and title disputes when an allottee passed away.

Under the original statute, the U.S. government held Indian allotments, which measured roughly 160 acres per person, in trust for 25 years before each Indian allottee could receive clear title.

In a Nov. 24 letter to Mr. Biden, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer said the proposed withdrawal would have a “devastating impact because the indirect effects would make the allottee land worthless from the standpoint of energy extraction.”

“Because of undivided interests, that allotment land might include up to 50 to 100 people. So everybody gets a check for that amount. Let’s say it’s 100 times $1,000. That’s how much companies are paying out to allottee families.”