You can support the mission of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation in many ways, including making a contribution, helping to reverse the negative effects of the Dawes Act or teaching native culture and history in your community.

 

Take the Indian Land Appraisal and Probate Survey

The process for getting Indian Land appraisals and probates completed is a mess. It can take months for an Indian landowner to have an appraisal done. It can take years to get through the probate process, and landowners and their families are frustrated. How long have you been waiting? Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) would like to know.

ILTF is conducting a short survey as a way for you to share your stories of delay and frustration with the appraisal and probate processes. Our goal is to better understand the problems and help push for practical solutions. We also want people to know just how bad the situation really is and what can be done about it.

How long does the survey take?
The appraisal and probate processes can take forever but this survey does not. It will take 5 minutes or less to answer a few basic questions about when your request was made and how long you have been waiting for completion. If you have more time available, you’ll also have the option to share some details about your experiences and tell us the impact the delays have had on you and your family.

Why take the survey?
These lengthy delays are causing problems in Indian Country, both for individual landowners and their families, and for tribal businesses and governments. Transactions and payments are delayed, tribal communities miss out on economic opportunities and communities suffer unnecessarily. There is no way to measure the impact of the personal stress involved. By taking the survey you will be helping ILTF to raise awareness of the problems and work toward solutions.

What will ILTF do with the information?
All of your personal information will remain confidential and will not be shared without your permission. ILTF will anonymously compile the results from everyone who participates and will make the data available on our website at www.iltf.org. The Foundation will raise awareness of the problem through media coverage, public relations activities and social media in order to pressure the Department of the Interior to improve its service to Indian people. We need your help to make change happen!

Win an Amazon gift card
If you provide your contact information when completing this short survey you will be entered to win one of several $50 Amazon gift cards to be given away. If other people you know are having issues with requests for land appraisals or probate, please direct them to this page (www.https://iltf.org/get-involved/take-action/)

CLICK HERE to go to the survey

Help Reverse the Negative Effects of the Dawes Act

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The General Allotment Act (or Dawes Act) was signed into law on February 8, 1887 and is named for its creator Senator Henry Laurens Dawes of Massachusetts. It is a piece of legislation that was directly responsible for the loss of 90 million acres of Indian land – nearly two-thirds of the total Indian land base. You can help raise awareness about the devastating consequences of this historic piece of legislation and take action today to reverse some of its negative effects.

The Act required tribally-held land to be divided among individual tribal members and the remaining “surplus” lands opened to white settlement. This division and alienation of Indian land and assets had devastating consequences for Indian people that still endure today. ILTF works to reverse the negative effects of the Allotment Act, through land recovery, legislative and regulatory reform, and targeted outreach with community members. Here are few simple actions you can take that will help us move one step closer to reversing the negative effects of this damaging legislation:

1. Educate Yourself and Others – Watch and share the video, “A Matter of Honor: 125 Years of Living with the Legacy of the Dawe’s Allotment Act” to learn about the impact of this legislation.

2. Stay Informed – Return to iltf.org regularly for the latest news and information about land issues.

3. Urge Political Leaders to Take Action Now – Encourage your congressional representative to pass the “Carcieri Fix” to address the unintended consequences of the 2009 Carcieri v. Salazar ruling.  Click here to learn more about the “Carcieri Fix”

4. Support the Solution – Contribute to ILTF to support efforts that assist in the recovery and control of Indian land.

Teach 'Lessons of Our Land'

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Lessons of Our Land is an interdisciplinary Indian land curriculum created by ILTF as a way to easily incorporate Native American stories, lessons and values into regular classroom instruction. Aligning with state educational standards, this dynamic, interdisciplinary curriculum is used successfully by teachers in more than 100 school districts. While Lessons of Our Land positions Native American tribal issues and values at the forefront, the curriculum emphasizes the fundamental relationship between land and people in general, not just Native Americans. Lessons of Our Land:

  • Meets state standards in multiple core areas including history, art, civics, mathematics, science, geography and language arts
  • Includes grade-level appropriate lessons in four key content areas
  • Has a wide variety of online resources teachers can use to supplement the lessons
  • Includes a teachers guide for curriculum integrations
  • Has specific state adaptations for California, Minnesota, Montana

Learn more at lessonsofourland.org

Teach ILTF College Curriculum

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ILTF’s Native Land Tenure History Course is intended to serve as a starting place for faculty to develop a course particular to the academic field in which it will be offered. It discusses Native land tenure issues and problems currently facing Indian people outlined as an introductory, three- or four-semester credit, college-level course.

 

The curriculum components include:

  • Background on Indian land tenure history and issues
  • Course design that allows for easy modification to suit the individual needs of each instructor
  • Sample 15-week course syllabus focusing on four major content areas:
    • Historical origins of Native land tenure
    • Major western concepts of Native “property” law
    • Use and management of Native land
    • Re-acquisition of the Native land base

ILTF’s Strategic Land Planning Course addresses the strategic land planning process and is designed to be taught in tribal and community colleges, aimed at students who are interested in community-based planning and development. The curriculum components:

  • Includes historical, legal, cultural, ecological and economic aspects of Indian land tenure and land use
  • Applies specific problem-solving and strategic land planning practices to research, develop, implement and evaluate land tenure and land use decisions
  • Takes a participatory planning approach that engages all affected persons
  • Emphasizes combined academic and experiential learning opportunities through partnerships, applied problem-solving research, community outreach and community service.
Learn more about ILTF college curricula by contacting Nichlas Emmons.

Contribute Now

Support the only national organization serving Indian nations and people in the recovery and control of their rightful homelands. Your support can take many forms based upon your interest and capability. Perhaps your family would like to make an enduring legacy gift in honor of a loved one who was interested in land, or you can choose to support the general ILTF mission through your gift.

Contribute now 

 

 

INDIAN LANDS IN INDIAN HANDS