Staking Claims: The Debate Over Land, Money, and Authority
In 1946, Congress established the Indian Claims Commission to settle land claim disputes between Indians and the U.S. government. Each tribe was allowed a one-time appeal for monies owed by the United States for past grievances. In 1949, the Commission received a claim from a party of Seminoles for $50,000,000. The claim for reparations was based on past U.S. infringement on sovereign Indian lands. The proceeds could bolster tribal economic strength.
By 1953, however, some off-reservation Indians near the Everglades--who had not joined the migration of Miccosukee and Muskogee speaking Indians onto the federal reservations in the 1930s and 1940s--objected to the claim. The off-reservation faction asserted that the claim would allow the U.S. to control the Florida Indians’ remaining lands and would coerce the various groups to merge under the name of “Seminole.” Additionally, they challenged the reservation Indians’ authority to set policy for all Native people in Florida and to control the resources and economic benefits that would be gained. While the claims case would take years to settle, the burgeoning issue of separate tribal governance would soon come to a head.