Rosebud landowners organization formed to protect interests

ROSEBUD — A group of Rosebud landowners have recently formed a new organization to advance and protect their interests. In a press release by Charlie Colombe, one of the founders of the group stated that the nonprofit corporation, Rosebud Landowners' Association, Inc. held a formative meeting on Jan. 15, 2009 and approved and filed its articles of incorporation.

Members of Rosebud Landowners' Association, Inc. will include individuals who have interests in trust land within the confines of the original boundaries of the Rosebud Reservation. The initial organizers and directors of Rosebud Landowners' Association, Inc. in addition to Colombe, include Webster Two Hawk, Jr., Kelly Jones, Maynard Wright, and Francis White Bird.

We are facing a crisis for individual land owners Colombe stated, and we have to provide a central means of educating not only our land owners, but also our tribal and federal leaders. Individuals with interests in trust land need to have secure economic interests to operate and those interests must be protected, Colombe said. Land owners can not rely on government to protect their land rights.

It is vital that we recognize the economic impact that is made in our area by private land owners, Colombe stated. As we improve and protect individual ownership interests, we will also provide a tremendous lift to our total economy. At the tribal level leadership increasingly comes from individuals who have never been land owners and who have no interest in protecting individuals. Over the years the Tribe has proved time and time again that its income and its assets are of only marginal benefit to tribal members.

At the federal level we see continuing efforts being made to reduce the government's trust responsibility. While some will complain about decreasing protection from the federal government, we believe that it provides a unique opportunity for an independent organization made up of land owners and those interested in land ownership. We know that the last thing we can allow is an increased role for tribal government, said Colombe. Many tribal leaders have become career bureaucrats who are incapable of protecting individual rights, Colombe stated.

For over a century we have allowed a trust system to develop for our land which has brought only minimal economic benefits to individuals. We don't even have effective home ownership and home equity, Colombe stated. In addition, we have almost 16,000 unique individual Indian land owners in Rosebud allotted tracts. Less than 40 percent of those land owners are enrolled Rosebud tribal members, Colome said. An astonishing 26 percent of our allotted land is owned by Oglala tribal members, Colombe stated.

We believe we can bring more land ownership to more local people, and we also believe we can protect and enhance the land ownership of our existing owners Colombe stated. Rosebud Landowners' Association, Inc. has been organized to provide a positive solution to a serious problem Colombe said in the press release.