Judge Denies Indians' Claim on Pa. Land

[Khephra]

PHILADELPHIA -- An Indian tribe that says it was swindled out of land by the son of Pennsylvania founder William Penn cannot have any of it back, a federal judge ruled.

The Delaware Nation had sued to reclaim 315 acres of eastern Pennsylvania land it lost in the so-called Walking Purchase, a 1737 deal between Thomas Penn and the chiefs of the Lenni Lenape tribe.

According to the history books, Penn asked for as much Indian land as the colonists could cover in a day-and-a-half's walk. The chiefs agreed, thinking any such concession would be small. Penn then hired the fastest runners he could find and the tribe lost 1,200 square miles.

The descendants of the tribe, now federally recognized and based in Oklahoma, wanted to build casinos on the land, now occupied by businesses and homes.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-indians-gambling,0,69529.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[Scrooge]

1. amazing

I hate to think how badly we screwed over the Indians( and many other races to boot) .. stories like that make me so mad. :(

[Tace]

2. Where Is The Honor?

[private_ryan]

3. it has to be a statute of limitations though

should their ancestors be able to sue New York in 2450 for a 1700 land deal? They got screwed but bring those suits up, don't wait.

[Benhurst]

4. As if they would had a chance of a fair trial in the16th, 17th, 18th, 19th

or 20th Centuries. And now it's the 21st Century, and the Bush Crime Family rules the roost.

It looks as though there never was, nor never will be, a proper time for the government of this monarchy/republic/whatever to treat native Americans fairly.

[seriousstan]

5. So the runners did cover the area claimed in the agreement?

[IA_Seth]

6. Thats what I was thinking....

That still seems like a hell of a lot of land to cover?!

[seriousstan]

7. That is only a 34 mile by 34 mile square.

I walk 3 miles an hour. That would be easy to cover. Even the diagonal is only 47.6 miles.

[MaineDem]

8. Let's ask the President about native American sovreignty

He's so well versed on the subject. :eyes: