[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 131 (Tuesday, October 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              WYANDOTTE NATION LAND CLAIMS SETTLEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 7, 2002

  Mr. YOUNG. Mr. Speaker, throughout my years as a Member of this body, 
I've tried hard to be a defender and promoter of the rights of Native 
Americans, our First Americans. In that spirit and as Vice Chairman of 
the Resources Committee, I am proud to add my name as an original co-
sponsor of the Wyandotte Nation Land Claims Settlement Act.
  The Wyandotte Nation, like so many other Native American Tribes, has 
endured a sad history of broken promises at the hands of the federal 
government and they have filed suit to reestablish their rightful and 
just claim to the lands that those broken promises took away from them. 
The land claim suit, which the courts have said has sufficient merit to 
proceed, involves billions of dollars worth of land and thousands of 
current landholders whose ownership status is now in question.
  The Wyandotte Nation, like other groups of Native Americans who have 
successfully settled their aboriginal land claims, including Natives in 
my State under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, do not seek to 
dispossess anyone of their homes and businesses. Rather, they seek a 
fair and just settlement of those claims so that the broken promises 
can be mended sufficiently for Native and non-Native Americans to move 
on productively and cooperatively with their lives and interests.
  The Wyandotte Nation Land Claims Settlement Act provides the 
opportunity for compromise and resolution of longstanding issues in a 
manner that is beneficial for the Wyandotte Nation and for the entire 
community currently occupying and surrounding the lands in question and 
I am therefore proud to add my name to the bill and urge my colleagues 
to support its passage.

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