Cobell v.

Short Synopsis

"Cobell v." is a feature length documentary about one woman's fight for justice for 500,000 Native Americans who own mineral rich land that has been mismanaged by the US government for over a century.

Description/Treatment

A powerful reminder that the Indian Wars are far from over, Cobell v., a feature length documentary, tells the incredible story of one woman's fight for justice for 500,000 Native Americans. At the end of the 19th century, the US government broke up Indian reservations, parceled out millions of acres of land to individual Indian families and promised to oversee the land. The government restricted the Indians ability to lease or sell the land and established the Indian Trust Fund to disburse revenues generated by mining, oil, gas, grazing and timber leases. From the very beginning, the Indian Trust was doomed to fail and reports began surfacing as early as 1915 addressing management problems. But Congress failed to appropriate the necessary funds and over the years Indian families saw their checks and land begin to dwindle or disappear altogether. Indian beneficiaries of oil rich lands should have been living in mansions, instead they were living in homes without running water and electricity. Their meager revenue checks barely paid for the simple necessities of life. Seeking answers, Indian families did what they were told to do when they questioned their government trustee; they went to their local Bureau of Indian Affairs office and asked the Indian agent. They waited and waited for answers to their questions ----but the answers never came.

Fast-forward 120 years to the 21st century. Not much has changed, one in three Native Americans still live in poverty and the U.S. government still operates a broken Trust. But behind the doors of the 6th District Court in Washington, DC, there is a new battle being waged. Thanks to the efforts of a determined people and one very dedicated Native American by the name of Elouise Cobell. On June 10, 1996, sixty-eight years after a General Accounting Office first reported the widespread mismanagement of the Indian Trust, Cobell, a warrior of the Blackfeet tribe, together with attorney Dennis Gingold and the Native American Rights Fund, filed the largest class action lawsuit ever filed against the United States Departments of Interior and Treasury for the mismanagement of billions of dollars of Indian Trust Funds. This empowering story of one woman's fight for justice has been the driving force behind Cobell v Salazar, which has entered its 13th year in the courts. Unfortunately this incredible story has escaped the interest of the mainstream media, which is why we want to tell it. Through interviews with Indian beneficiaries, lead plaintiff, Elouise Cobell, lead attorneys, scholars, Senators and Congressmen, government officials and the Judge, and using courtroom illustrations and archival footage, Fire in the Belly Productions has assembled a fascinating depth of materials, knowledge, facts, and heartfelt stories for film audiences everywhere.