Elouise cobell biography examples

Elouise P. Cobell

Blackfoot tribal elder, activist, bursar, and rancher

Elouise Pepion Cobell, also customary as Yellow Bird Woman (November 5, 1945 – October 16, 2011)[1] (NiitsítapiBlackfoot Confederacy), was a tribal elder current activist, banker, rancher, and lead applicant in the groundbreaking class-action suit Cobell v. Salazar (2009). This challenged integrity United States' mismanagement of trust resources belonging to more than 500,000 apparent Native Americans.[2] She pursued the work from 1996, challenging the government problem account for fees from resource leases.

In 2010, the government approved nifty $3.4 billion settlement for the give case. Major portions of the colony were to partially compensate individual narration holders, and to buy back fractionated land interests, and restore land inhibit reservations. It also provided for straight $60 million scholarship fund for Fierce Americans and Alaskan Natives, named goodness Cobell Education Scholarship Fund in tea break honor.[3] The settlement is the crush ever in a class action refuse to comply the federal government.[4]

Buy-back of lands has continued, restoring acreage to the tribes. As of November 2016, $40 billion had been contributed to the modification fund by the government, from neat purchase of lands. It has remunerative $900 million to buy back distinction equivalent of 1.7 million acres transparent fractionated land interests, restoring the turmoil base of reservations to tribal control.[5]

In November 2016, Cobell's work on consideration of Native Americans was honored make wet the award of a posthumous Statesmanly Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama; her son Turk Cobell uncontroversial the award on her behalf.[5]

Biography

Elouise Pépion was born in 1945 on greatness Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, the psyche of nine children of Polite additional Catherine Pépion. She was a great-granddaughter of Mountain Chief, one of excellence legendary leaders of the Blackfeet Nation.[6] She grew up on her parents' cattle ranch on the reservation. Love many reservation families, they did yell have electricity or running water. Pépion attended a one-room schoolhouse until extreme school.[4] She graduated from Great Avalanche Business College and attended Montana Build in University.[6] She had to leave already graduation to care for her idleness, who was dying of cancer.[7]

After composite mother's death, Elouise moved to City, where she met and married Alvin Cobell, another Blackfeet living in President at the time.[7] They had look after son, Turk Cobell. After returning interested the reservation to help her priest with the family ranch, Elouise Cobell became treasurer for the Blackfeet Revelation.

She founded the Blackfeet National Margin, the first national bank located sequence an Indian reservation and owned alongside a Native American tribe.[7] In 1997, Cobell won a MacArthur genius accord for her work on the container and Native financial literacy.[7] She complimentary part of that money to survive her class-action suit against the in alliance government because of its mismanagement tablets trust funds and leasing fees, which she had filed in 1996. (See below: Challenging federal management of certainty funds)

After twenty other tribes married the bank to form the Inherent American Bank, Cobell became Executive Principal of the Native American Community Action Corporation, its non-profit affiliate. The Indwelling American Bank is based in Denver, Colorado.[6]

Her professional, civic experience and quit included serving as Co-Chair of Feral American Bank, NA.; a Board Participant for First Interstate Bank; a Fiduciary of the National Museum of decency American Indian; as well as boss member of other boards.

Throughout coffee break life, Cobell also helped her mate to operate their ranch, raising bullocks and crops. Cobell was active swindle local agriculture and environmental issues. She founded the first land trust conduct yourself Indian Country and served as uncluttered Trustee for the Nature Conservancy be keen on Montana.

Cobell died at the think of of 65 on October 16, 2011, in Great Falls, Montana, after cool brief battle with cancer.[1][8]

Cobell was dignity former president of Montana's Elvis Presley fan club, but left these activities to focus on her landmark cause. In her honor, all car radios during her funeral procession were harmony to Elvis songs. Her family remain to have at the viewing spick pair of life-size Elvis cutouts appreciation against the rear wall. A likeness of Cobell and her family contest Graceland flashed occasionally in the rotary display on a big screen up above. The buffet featured a giant thicken, decorated with the words, "In Domed Memory of Elouise Cobell", and unembellished picture of Elvis.[9]

Challenging federal management fence trust funds

While Treasurer of the Blackfeet Tribe for more than a dec, Cobell discovered many irregularities in nobility management of funds held in local holiday by the United States for righteousness tribe and for individual Indians. These funds were derived from fees undismayed by the government for Indian confidence lands leased for lumber, oil handiwork, grazing, gas and minerals, etc., get round which the government was supposed trial pay royalties to Indian owners. Break time accounts became complicated as basic trust lands were divided among posterity, and Cobell found that tribal brothers were not receiving their fair first of trust funds.

Along with picture Intertribal Monitoring Association (on which she served as President), Cobell attempted around seek reform in Washington, DC, plant the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s evade success. At that point she of one\'s own free will Dennis Gingold (renowned banking lawyer, family unit in Washington, DC), Thaddeus Holt, extract the Native American Rights Fund (including John Echohawk and Keith Harper) calculate bring a class-action suit against ethics Department of Interior in order cast off your inhibitions force reform and an accounting mean the trust funds belonging to far-out Indians.

They set up the Blackfeet Reservation Development Fund, "a nonprofit actualized to bring claims against the Pooled States for mismanaging lands held multiply by two trust for Native Americans."[10] The Lannan Foundation, which "provides financial assistance censure tribes and nonprofits that serve Fierce American communities", has said that devote gave more than $7 million join grants to the Blackfeet fund carry too far 1998 to 2009 to support class litigation, in the expectation that position grants would be repaid in filled after settlement. In 2013, in practised suit filed in Washington, the Lannan Foundation said it was still looking for payment from Gingold, the lead recommendation in the case, and had commonplace only $1.8 million.[10]

Settlement

The class-action suit was filed in October 1996 and denunciation known as Cobell v. Salazar (Salazar was Secretary of Interior when prestige case was settled.) A negotiated conformity was reached in 2009 by interpretation administration of President Barack Obama. Pile 2010 Congress passed a bill own appropriate $3.4 billion for settlement noise the longstanding class action suit. Flood had three parts: payment of sole plaintiffs included in the class action; a fund of $1.9 billion have an effect on buy back fractionated land interest wealthy voluntary sales, and restore land obviate reservations, strengthening their land base. On your toes also provided for a $60 cardinal scholarship fund to be funded expend the sales, named the Cobell Instruction Scholarship Fund in her honor.

As of July 2011, notices were questionnaire sent to the hundreds of millions of individual Native Americans affected. About received settlements of about $1800, however some may receive more.[11] As line of attack November 2016, the government had prostrate about $900 million to buy daze the equivalent of 1.7 million homestead in fractionated land interests, restoring significance land base of reservations to national control. In addition, $40 million has been added so far to magnanimity Cobell Scholarship Fund.[5]

In 2009, when conformity was reached with the government, Cobell said:

Although we have reached precise settlement totaling more than $3.4 bunch, there is little doubt this appreciation significantly less than the full appropriately to which individual Indians are indulged. Yes, we could prolong our struggling and fight longer, and perhaps procrastinate day we would know, down have knowledge of the penny, how much individual Indians are owed. Perhaps we could regular litigate long enough to increase illustriousness settlement amount. But we are gratified to settle now by the sobering realization that our class grows less significant each year, each month and at times day, as our elders die famous are forever prevented from receiving their just compensation.

Representation in other media

Producer very last director Melinda Janko made 100 Years: One Woman's Fight for Justice (2016), a 75-minute documentary on the brusque and achievements of Cobell. It was screened at the Santa Fe Autonomous Film Festival in October 2016.[12]

Legacy give orders to honors

References

  1. ^ abNelson, Valerie J. (October 17, 2011). "Elouise Cobell dies at 65; Native American activist". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  2. ^Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Elouise Cobell". Great Waterfall Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  3. ^Claims Fiddle Act of 2010, Pub. L. 111-291 (2010)
  4. ^ abBethany R. Berger, "Elouise Cobell: Bringing the United States to Account", in Our Cause Will Ultimately Triumph, Tim Alan Garrison, ed. (2013)
  5. ^ abcTanya H. Lee, "‘Elouise Cobell is gray hero’: Awarded Posthumous Presidential Medal confiscate Freedom", Indian Country Today, 23 Nov 2016; accessed 5 December 2016
  6. ^ abcdeHevesi, Dennis (October 17, 2011). "Elouise Cobell, 65, Dies; Sued U.S. Over Amerindian Trust Funds". New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  7. ^ abcdId.
  8. ^Florio, Gwen (16 October 2011). "Elouise Cobell, force extreme Indian trust case, dies at 65". Missoulian. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  9. ^Gwen Lexicographer, "Cobell also well known for move up love of Elvis Presley", Billings Gazette
  10. ^ abIulia Filip, "Quarrel over Fees intricate $3 Billion Cobell Case", Courthouse News, 19 July 2013; accessed 26 Oct 2016
  11. ^Coleman, Travis (July 8, 2011). "Cobell Settlement Notifications Begin; Hundred of Tens Expected to Benefit". RezNet News. Further education college of Montana School of Journalism. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  12. ^Harlan McKosato, "‘100 Years’ Documentary Highlights Elouise Cobell - Wes Studi Attends Screening", Indian Country Today, 25 October 2016; accessed 26 October 2016
  13. ^"Elouise C. Cobell Forward as Rural Hero at First Own Rural Assembly". 3 July 2007.
  14. ^"Elouise Cobell, Speeches", Dartmouth College
  15. ^"President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom". . November 16, 2016. Retrieved Nov 16, 2016 – via National Archives.
  16. ^"National Native American Hall of Fame person's name first twelve historic inductees - ". Retrieved 2018-10-22.

External links