Based on Message Runner, Vol. 5 “Cutting through the Red Tape” addresses the unique challenges involved in the managment of Indian trust land and assets. It includes a collection of the most common forms used by federal agencies and Indian people and provides tips for how to read and process these forms successfully.
Contact us to order print copies of the Message Runner and other ILTF publications.
Why Is there so much Red Tape for Indian Land?
Most Americans own property in fee simple, which means they hold title to the property and can make decisions about use and sell the land without government oversight. This is not true for Indian land, or trust land. Instead, the U.S. federal government holds the underlying title to all Indian trust land and federal agencies must process and approve all trust land-related transactions that occur. Every lease, sale, gift deed, or transfer (to name a few) must be processed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and approved by the secretary of the interior. The maze-like bureaucratic processes surrounding each transaction adds considerable time and complexity to the management of Indian lands which are already challenged by such issues as fractionated ownership and checkerboarding.
With these resources, we hope to help Indian landowners effectively navigate the mountains of red tape that stand between them and individual or tribal control of their own land and assets.
Topics include:
Individual Trust Interest Report
Individual Indian Monies Statement of Account
List of Real Property Assets
IIM Account Preferences and Change of Address
Appraising the Value of Indian Trust Land
Sale of Indian Land
Land Exchange and Consolidation
Leasing Indian Land
Right of Way
Trust-to-Fee Transfer
Fee-to-Trust Transfer
Writing a Will
Gift Deed
Note About the Forms
These forms are designed to look as much as possible like the actual federal forms that an Indian landowner or tribe would encounter. However, they should not be mistaken for the real thing. Actual forms must be acquired from the appropriate tribal or federal agency. (See Land Management Resources for contact information.) Names of individuals, companies, places, numbers, dollar amounts and any other form of personal information found on any of the forms found in this collection are entirely fictitious and meant only to serve as examples of the kind of information that would be displayed.
