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Nonprofit Quarterly reports [nonprofitquarterly.org]

In 2012, a United Nations investigator [reuters.com] said the US should return to Native peoples some of the land it had appropriated. The federal government has not complied [quora.com], but a very few private owners are working out deals with Native tribes [civileats.com] to share or transfer land rights.

One such deal was made this week, when the Ponca tribe of Nebraska accepted a parcel of land from farmers Art and Helen Tanderup. The land was part of Ponca territory and formed part of the Trail of Tears. The Ponca had been partnering with the Tanderups to plant sacred corn [nelighnews.com] there since 2014, but they are now full and legal owners. The Ponca, the Tanderups, and area activist groups are working together to stop construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, whose proposed route runs through the land in question.

[...]In addition to being historically significant to the Ponca, the land transfer is important because activists hope it will create difficulties for TransCanada [indianz.com] when they request eminent domain over the route.

[...]The return of this land to the Ponca by the Tanderups is a powerful act of resistance, both in the practical terms of making pipeline construction more difficult, and in figurative terms, because a unified community that recognizes and practices stewardship and justice has a better chance of winning their fights than one plagued by distrust and resentment. The recently transferred land may serve as a barrier to TransCanada, but most importantly, using it that way it will be up to the Ponca to decide.

Original Submission