Interior, Justice Leaders to Join Navajo Nation to Announce Major Trust Settlement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with tribal nations and fulfill federal trust obligations, on Friday, September 26, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn and Acting Assistant Attorney General Sam Hirsch of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division will join Navajo Nation tribal leaders and members to announce a major tribal trust accounting settlement.

The announcement will be made at Window Rock Tribal Park and will include a signing ceremony. Friday’s announcement marks a significant milestone in the Obama Administration’s commitment to resolving tribal trust management lawsuits with Native American tribes.

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American tribe in the United States, with more than 300,000 members. The Nation has the largest reservation in the United States, encompassing more than 27,000 square miles of land in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The reservation includes more than 14 million acres of trust lands, which are leased for various productive uses, including farming; grazing; oil, gas, and other mineral development; businesses; rights-of-way; timber harvesting; and housing. The Navajo Nation also owns or has ownership interests in over 100 trust accounts.