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Garrison
Diversion Uni Commission
In the early 1980s, the Three Affiliated Tribes initiated a
move for “just compensation" for lands that were
lost to construction of the Garrison Dam. A committee
was established to gather testimony and evidence in hearings
held on the Standing Rock and Fort Berthold Reservations, as
well as other sites. The Final Report of the Garrison
Diversion Unit Commission pointed out that the Tribes of the
Standing Rock and Fort Berthold Indian Reservations shouldered
an inordinate share of the cost of implementing the Pick-Sloan
Missouri Basin Programs" mainstream reservoirs. (Final
GDUC Report, Appendix F., p. 57).
This report highlighted the inequities borne by the tribes:
The tribes were not only unwilling to sell their land, but strongly
opposed the taking of their land. They felt intimidated by the
fact that construction on the dams began before Indian lands
were acquired. They then felt that the taking of their
lands was inevitable. During the negotiation phases, assurances
were given expressly or by implication by various Federal officials
that problems anticipated by the Indians would be remedied.
The assurances raised expectations which, in many cases, were
never fulfilled. The quality of replacement homes was inadequate
in many respects, but most notably with regard to insulation
and construction necessary to meet severe climatic conditions.
The deficiencies, in many cases, resulted in inordinately high
heating bills. Indian lands taken were "prime river bottomland"
and the most productive parts of the reservation. The quality
of life enjoyed by the tribes on the river bottomlands had not
been replicated in the removal areas The rise in the incidence
of trauma and stress-related maladies and illnesses following
removal suggested a causal relationship. They were not justly
compensated by the United States for the taking of their lands
and related expenses resulting from the land taken. United States
land acquisition practice resulted in the taking of a substantially
larger area of Indian land.
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Phone: 701-627-3503
Three Affiliated Tribes, 404 Frontage Road, New Town, North Dakota,
58763
Copyright ® 2004-2006 Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation.
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