Keeping oil money at home
Keeping oil money at home
Association looks to invest locally
By Jerry W. Kram
There are several allottees’ organizations on the Fort Berthold Reservation working to preserve their members’ and the Three Affiliated Tribe’s property rights. Allottees are tribal members who hold personal title a portion of reservation land. Some of the allottees groups have been in existence for more than 50 years.
A new group has formed to work with those groups and create new economic opportunities on the reservation by giving allottees an opportunity to invest their oil income locally, rather than sending it to banks or finance companies in Fargo or Minneapolis, said Leslie Hammerberg, president of the Nueta, Hidatsa and Sahnish Development Corporation. The group also has a nonprofit arm called the Nueta, Hidatsa and Sahnish Landowners Association.
“We are bringing allottees together that have land and mineral and get them to understand that some of that money should go to the infrastructure on the reservation,” Hammerberg said. “We are looking at buying land on the reservation and building hotels, living spaces and homes. We are looking at building a truck plaza. We aren’t saying donate money to us, we are saying invest in us.”
