Settlement to benefit NM Native American farmers

After a 13-year court battle, Native American farmers and ranchers who were denied federal farm loans will get long-awaited compensation. The U.S. District Court approved the Keepseagle v. Vilsack class action settlement of $760 million in April. Lawyers sought out potential claimants for that money—including people in New Mexico—up until Tuesday, Dec. 27. Teams of lawyers were sent out to spread the word about the process. Details are protected under attorney-client privilege, said Christine Webber of the Cohen, Milstein, Sellers and Toll law firm that was handling the settlement claims. “Arizona and New Mexico were expected to be one of the biggest areas for claims because of the number of tribes located in the two states.” About 300 people in New Mexico filed claims, as did 380 from Arizona. In total, about 5,100 were filed nationally, according to preliminary reports, says Webber. Several people attending the Gallup meeting declined to be interviewed, saying they did not want to jeopardize their chances by being in the press. Anita Tsinnajinnie, a translator, was on hand. “Communication issues are complicating factors in gathering claims,” she said, citing the number of tribes and languages as part of the challenge. Gathering basic legal documents to prove Native American heritage was also a daunting task for many on rural reservations, she said. Individual interviews were conducted with a translator, she added, and could be time consuming. A 2009 study by the Center of Southwest Culture stresses that the largest threat to Native American farming in New Mexico is waning interest from tribal members: If the younger generation loses regard for ancient farming traditions, they will be lost. Gambling enterprises are also consuming parcels of Native American land. More than half of New Mexico’s pueblos run casinos, according to the study, and so do Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation. “Tribes are diverting water rights into nonagricultural uses,” the study states, “especially golf courses for resort developments.”...more