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of legislation that affects them. Recently the Bands have turned 

 the focus of their efforts to the Ceded Territory. The Bands 

 recognized that the need for the natural resources to maintain the 

 traditional lifestyle has placed a burden on reservation resources 

 and they must now begin to use the Ceded Territory resources. As 

 the Bands expand the practice of Treaty Rights outside their 

 reservations new questions arise about the trust responsibility of 

 the B. I. A. and the U. S. Government and the Bands. 



Clearly the B. I. A. has a trust responsibility on reservation but, 

 just as clearly, not off the reservation. The system currently in 

 place has a clear delineation of how the Bands and the B. I. A. 

 work together with on reservation concerns. The problems surface 

 when the Bands begin to exercise off reservation rights. There is 

 a long term litigation process that is costly to the Bands and no 

 clear role for B. I. A. to play. The Bands have to depend upon 

 their own financial resources to undertake this battle and, if 

 successful, the B. I. A. then becomes a fund mechanism for them. 

 Although this statement is short in words the problems outlined 

 here could fill several volumes of testimony. 



Legislation should be enacted that will allow the Bands access to 

 the long term funding necessary to develop the infrastructure to 

 enable them to be co-managers of the natural resources in the Ceded 

 Territory. The jurisdictional questions should be dealt with by the 

 agencies in negotiations as they currently are. The environmental 

 issues will cease to be a concern once the infrastructure has the 

 staff to deal with them in an informed manner. Tribal participation 

 is always a concern with the development of legislation and should 

 be addressed throughout the whole process. The trust responsibility 

 of the United States and the relationship between tribal government 

 should be cleared up so all citizens understand it. The problems 

 that exist in Indian Country are old. They are a part of our past, 

 our present and unless things change our future. Once the problems 

 of funding tribal programs is stable, the jurisdiction that the 

 tribes retained in the Ceded Territory is clear, the enactment of 

 tribal legislation for the protection of the environment of the 

 Ceded Territory's natural resources is recognized, there is tribal 

 participation in legislation and the trust responsibility of the 

 United States between Indian people is clear accepted, then, the 

 Bands will be recognized as the true keepers of the environment 

 that they are. 



Thank you for the opportunity to present this statement before your 

 committee in behalf of the Lake Superior Chippewa Bands of Bois 

 Forte and Grand Portage. 



Megwich . 



