Tribal Leaders Displeased With Ruling

Nez Perce tribal leaders are disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling of tribal control over disputed South Dakota reservation land. But they say the decision will not diminish their jurisdiction over their own tribal land.

The high court this week ruled that 168,000 acres the Yankton Sioux Tribe sold to non-Indians under an 1894 federal law are no longer Indian land.

Nez Perce Tribal Chairman Samuel Penney said the decision does not affect the existence or jurisdiction of the Idaho tribe regardless of claims by the North Central Idaho Jurisdictional Alliance.

The alliance has said it wants to resolve how much jurisdiction the tribe has over non-Indians living within reservation boundaries.

“The Nez Perce Reservation boundaries were defined in our 1863 treaty with the United States and have been consistently recognized since that time,” Penney said in a statement.

“Unless and until there is a final decision by a court of competent jurisdiction which is binding on the Nez Perce Tribe, we consider those boundaries which have existed for the past 138 years to continue to exist,” he declared.