6. SISSETON AGENCY DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: In response to your request of April 17, 1958, enclosed herewith, in duplicate, are answers to your questionnaire on the disposition and acquisition of Indian lands in the last 10 years on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation, together with the tabular forms used in compiling this information. Sincerely yours, W. P. HUGHES, Superintendent. SISSETON QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE DISPOSITION AND ACQUISITION OF INDIAN LANDS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS PART I 1. Acres in trust, 210.01. None acquired in fee. 2. Acres in individual Indian ownership on July 1, 1947, 117,053.48. 3. See the following: 7. None. 8. None. 9. None. 10. None. 11. There were 690.01 acres in trust. None acquired in fee. 12. There were 111,470.21 acres in individual Indian ownership on December 31, 1957. 13. The acquisition and disposal of Indian lands on the SissetonWahpeton Reservation has not been affected by any special acts of Congress. There is no Tribal Land Enterprise at this jurisdiction, but the tribal council recommends that no Indian land be disposed of to non-Indians. No resolutions on this subject have been passed. 14. No lands have been acquired on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe does not own any undivided interests. The undivided interests owned by non-Indians and alien Indians do not present a problem unless several such heirs become involved in an allotment. In cases where only 2 or 3 such heirs are involved and the allotment is advertised for sale excluding such interests, the bidders seem to be willing to purchase the Indian owners' shares and negotiate direct for the shares of the non-Indians and alien Indians. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation is not under the Indian Reorganization Act. There is no difficulty in reaching agreement among heirs as to disposal of lands, but there is difficulty in securing signed consents from all heirs because where there are 75 or more heirs, the problem of contacting all of them is practically impossible. No great use has been made of the Secretary's authority to sell heirship lands involving minor or incompetent heirs. PART II-SISSETON 1-6. The remaining Indian land on this reservation is scattered in small tracts over seven counties in North and South Dakota, and in view of the fact that there is no Tribal Land Enterprise on this reservation, there are considered to be no key tracts. PART III-SISSETON 1-8. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe has never had a Tribal Land Enterprise and does not employ any personnel. |