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From: Kent R
Date: 3/6/2006
Time: 5:49:17 AM
Remote Name: 64.71.113.143
[Hope this will post] I have been asked to post these particulars. By Jove, I think I've done it. POSITION PAPER OF THE OSAGE SHAREHOLDERS ASSOCIATION WITH RESPECT TO TRIBAL MEMBERSHIP, FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND RELATED MATTERS WHEREAS, The Osage Shareholders Association is an organization of Osage Indian shareholders formed to promote and protect Osage Tribal interests generally and Osage shareholder interests in particular; and WHEREAS, on September 15, 2004, Congress passed legislation entitled [] An Act to reaffirm the inherent sovereign rights of the Osage Tribe to determine its membership and form of government []; and WHEREFORE, the position of the Osage Shareholders Association with respect to these very important issues is as follows. I. REAFFIRMATION OF THE OSAGE CONSTITUTION OF 1881. A constitutional form of government must be reinstated for the Osage Tribe. In order to insure the continuity and development of sovereign powers of the Osage People, The Osage Constitution of 1881 should be ratified and amended as necessary for the accomplishment of this purpose. (As adopted in 1994) II. TRIBAL MEMBERSHIP BASED UPON THE ROLL OF 1906 ALLOTMENT ACT AND LINEAL DESCENDANTS THEREOF In order to establish a comprehensive Tribal Membership, the Roll established for purposes of the Allotment Act of 1906 should be used as the starting point. This Roll was substantially updated in 1994, and the membership roll approved by Assistant Secretary of the Interior Ada Deer should be used as a starting point for the development of an up-to-date, comprehensive membership roll. Existing data and personnel should be utilized to the greatest extent possible in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of work already performed. III. THREE-PART FORM OF GOVERNMENT In order to protect and promote the interests of the Osage People generally, the checks and balances created by a three-part form of government, including Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, is essential. IV. MINERAL ESTATE TO BE ADMINISTERED BY SEPARATE ENTITY In order to promote and protect the special and particularized interests of Osage shareholders in the Osage Tribal Mineral Trust, created by Act of Congress in 1906, it will be necessary to create an administrative entity that shall function in much the same manner as the present Osage Tribal Council. However, its duties and responsibilities must be limited only to protection and development of the Mineral Estate, along with other shareholder property. Its membership must be restricted only to Shareholders in the Osage Mineral Trust. V. JOINT COMMITTEE TO RESOLVE ISSUES IMPLICATING BOTH TRIBAL AND MINERAL INTRESTS In order to insure the mutual protection of both Tribal and Mineral interests in situations where both may be implicated or conflicts of interests arise, a Joint Committee comprised of members of the Minerals Board (or such name as may be adopted), the Legislative and Executive Branch. In the event of irreconcilable disagreement, the parties must submit to binding arbitration. This may be facilitated through an arbitrator drawn at random from among the elected members of the Judicial Branch.