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Our View: Cobell's life will affect future generations

Elouise Cobell died in Great Falls Sunday, just short of seeing the fruits of her long labor come to maturity.

But generations to come will remember her for her strong sense of justice and her determination to overcome injustice.

She was the lead plaintiff and driving force behind the lawsuit that resulted in a $3.4 billion settlement for Native Americans. The deal was approved by Congress last year, but the aggrieved parties have not yet received their checks from the federal government, and there are still some legal hurdles to overcome.

The Blackfeet woman won a $300,000 "genius grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1997, and used most of the money to launch the seemingly senseless lawsuit hoping to see her people win back at least some of the money the federal government had squandered over the years.

Her lawsuit was one in a long line of actions — legal and political — aimed at winning redress for the wrongs European-Americans had committed against Native Americans over the last century and a half. Some had been successful, most had not.

The Browning woman, whose Indian name was Yellow Bird Woman, fought hard and never gave up as the case wound its way through the sometimes torturous system of American justice. There were hearings, decisions, appeals, filings, and days and days of testimony, but she never backed off from what would become the largest class action lawsuit in American history.

The Obama administration realized what previous administrations had not — Cobell had a just cause, and, while the case could be delayed, eventually Cobell and her counterparts would prevail.

So the $3.4 billion out-of-court settlement was reached, and 500,000 Native Americans or their descendants will get at least some of the money due to them.

The children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those wronged by the federal government will now receive money to get a jump-start on their lives. People who would have been consigned to a life of poverty will at least stand a chance.

Native American youngsters will dip into the suit's $60 million scholarship fund to help them pay for an education that will give them a fighting chance at success in their lives.

The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of this generation of Native Americans will be leading more financially successful lives.

Memories are often weak, but Native Americans have been better than the rest of us in remembering the courageous people in their history.

When they look back at the great leaders and warriors of their past, we hope Elouise Cobell is at the top of the list.

 

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