Here’s the news release from the plaintiffs’ legal team about the visit:

Information on how Native Americans in Montana may be able to share the $3.4 billion Cobell settlement of Indian Trust claims will be discussed at meetings next week.

Geoffrey Rempel and Alex Pearl, members of the plaintiffs’ litigation team that helped negotiate the settlement, will be visiting two Indian communities to share information about the agreement.

On Tuesday (March 30) they will visit the Crow Agency to speak with members of the Crow Nation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and with members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe at Lame Deer from 3 pm. to 6 p.m.

Native Americans whose families have individual Indian money trust accounts or who own individual Indian trust land are welcome to attend the meeting and ask questions about the settlement.

The Obama administration announced the proposed agreement to resolve a 14-year-old class action lawsuit Ms. Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, and other Native Americans filed against the government in 1996. The lawsuit claims that the federal government mismanaged individual Indians’ trust accounts.

Congress and the courts must approve the settlement.

Under the proposed terms, the federal government will create a $1.4 billion Accounting/Trust Administration Fund and a $2 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund. The settlement also creates an Indian Education Scholarship fund of up to $60 million to improve access to higher education for Indians.

“We believe this agreement will be a tremendous help to individual Indians and to Indian County as a whole,” Ms. Cobell has said. “With the support of Native Americans, I hope Congress will soon take action to resolve this wrong.”

Cobell herself will also be visiting reservations next week. For information on her schedule, click here.

Tags: Alex Pearl, buffalo post, Cobell v. Salazar, Crow Reservation, Elouise Cobell, Geoffrey Rempel, Gwen Florio, Indian trust case, Native American news, Northern Cheyenne Reservation