A plan for the distribution and use of more than $6 million awarded to the Potawatomi Nation is being published in the Federal Register, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Forrest Gerard announced today.
The judgment award, granted by the Indian Claims Commission, is compensation for lands in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan ceded to the United States by the Indians during the treaty making period of 1795 to 1833.
The funds will be shared by members of the Prairie Band Citizens Band, Hannahville Indian Community, Forest County Potawatomi Community, and lineal descendants, who are United States Citizens, of Michigan and Indiana Potawatomis, including Huron, Pokagon and other Bands. The Secretary of the Interior will publish rules to govern the enrollment of these eligible descendants.
The tribal groups will distribute 80 percent of their share to members on a per capita basis, except for the Hannahville Indian Community which will distribute 40 percent. The balance will be retained for future tribal programs. All of the descendant group's portion will be distributed per capita.
This plan was approved by Congress and made effective March 6, 1978.
Persons wanting additional information should contact the Anadarko Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Anadarko, Oklahoma, 73005, or the Minneapolis Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55402.
