|
|
Locklear said the tribe will continue to file lawsuits against private landowners and businesses until they become a part of the settlement process with the State of New York, the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, and Oneida and Madison counties.
"It is our intention to proceed, and what we are working on now is continuing to find new defendants," Locklear said. "I can't give an exact date, but the new lawsuits will be filed very soon."
The Oneida Indian tribe of Wisconsin has already filed suits against 40 landowners and businesses in Oneida and Madison counties.
SeeThe tribe filed the lawsuits after the Feb. 16 announcement from Gov. George Pataki that a framework agreement was reached in the land claim settlement negotiations. The Oneida Indian Nation of New York would receive $225 million and 35,000 acres of land, while the Oneida tribe of Wisconsin would receive $250 million. Locklear said the tribe is not concerned about money, but only reacquiring its ancestral land.
When asked if the State of New York had been in contact with the Wisconsin tribe since the lawsuits were filed, Locklear said the state had not contacted the tribe at all.
"We have been waiting for a number of years for the state to contact us," Locklear said. "To my knowledge they haven't, and I hope they do."
