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The Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation and the federal government have reached a tentative deal to end a land dispute that started nearly a century ago.
According to a media release issued Monday by the First Nation, the settlement ends more than 10 years of litigation and negotiations over the size of the reserve.
The proposed settlement has to be ratified by the First Nation’s members; a vote has been scheduled for Jan. 11.
The First Nation said the dispute started around the time of the First World War after what it called “a unilateral decision” by the Canadian government to take roughly half of the Wood Mountain Lakota’s original reserve.
“The Government of Canada gave those lands to returning non-Indigenous soldiers and settlers, effectively turning over the First Nation’s land to private owners,” the media release read.
The proposed agreement calls for the federal government to pay the First Nation approximately $50 million in compensation for the loss of use of the lands. As well, the First Nation can buy nearly 5,700 acres of land to replace the land that was appropriated.
“The First Nation will use a portion of the compensation to provide a reasonable distribution to its members and to target economic and cultural initiatives, with the funds placed in a trust to benefit future generations,” the media release said.
The reserve is located about 65 kilometres southwest of Assiniboia.
