OCR Text |
Show s"W-IVKOUVN 3H1 xv Q3bngogd3a - <sj((fA. . - EPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS FIELD SERVICE Uintah &' Ouray Agency, Ft. Bnu.Qhesn$i Utah. October 19* 1932. Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington, D. C». Dear Mr. Commissioner: A Since taking charge of the Uintah & Ouray Indian Agency I have endeavored to reorganize the tribal Business Cornaittee with the thougit in mind of taking up all - v X -X V \ y yy matters with such committee pertaining to their tribal property, I have always felt, and feel at this tima that the Indians should not only he advised as to "the disposition and handling of their tribal propertyi htrfc that ihey should have some voice in matters of this nat; «e I. In -the reorganization of the Business Committee and deavoring to give them a voice in the handling of a: pertaining to same a question has come up as to whether or not the Uncompahgre members of the reservation have X any interest in the tribal grazing land which was apparently set aside under the Act of June 19, 1902 (32 Statv 744.)*, It will be noted that in 1he Act of June 19, 1902j so far as allotments in severalty are concerned, only the Uintah and Y/hiteriver Utes are mentioned. However, it further states that tiae lands set apart as grazing land, or non-irrigable land, that it will be fo r the vise in common for 1he Indians of this reservation. It farther states as . follows: "All allotments hereafter made to Uncompahgre Indians of lands in said Uintah Indian Reservation «h^l:1 be confined to agricultural land vhioh oan be irriga and shall be on the basis of 80 aores to eaoh head of family and forty aores to each other Indian j and no The grazing land selected and set apart as aforesaid in the Uintah Indian Reservation for the use in oomnon of the Indians of that reservation shall be equally open to the use of all Uncompahgre Indians receiving allutme.nrbs in said reservation of the reduced area here named?) From my talk with a number of the Indians it appears that the VJhiteriver band has always contended that the Uncompahgre band had no rights in lhe tribal grazing lands vhile others seem to misoontrue the wording of the aot that only |