Oregon tribe has disputes with Government agencies regarding Malheur land use but
takes a different approach. Not to mention that their beef is valid.
When armed men first took over a wildlife refuge in Oregon this weekend, the leader of the area’s Native American tribal council could relate to their land-right dispute but disagreed with their gun-toting approach.
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The armed militia’s standoff with the U.S. government over ranchers’ land rights has bewildered the leaders of the tribe. Although the Paiute have their own disputes over land and water with U.S. government agencies, they prefer a less adversarial approach.
The reservation is not far from the wildlife reserve and the tribe has been living off the arid western Oregon mountains since long before Europeans arrived in North America.
“There was never an agreement that we were giving up this land. We were dragged out of here,” Rodrique said.
The tribe's approach has typically been less provocative than the protesters who picked up guns to further their anti-government cause.
“I’m, like, hold on a minute, if you want to get technical about it … the land belongs to the Paiute here,” said Selena Sam, a member of the tribe’s council who waitresses at a local diner.
The tribe held a council meeting on Tuesday to discuss the sudden national attention land rights are once again getting.
She said the government has become increasingly bureaucratic about allowing the tribe to catch trout, bass and perch in the rivers lacing the mountains and hunt elk and deer in the woods.
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http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-native-tribe-uncomfortable-armed-standoff-over-land-131243928.html#
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