Five land claim tribes meet in Albany

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) An Oklahoma Indian tribe is one of five tribes that met in New York to support negotiated resolutions to Indian land claims.<br/><br/>The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma joined four other

Thursday, March 31st 2005, 6:14 am

By: News On 6

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) An Oklahoma Indian tribe is one of five tribes that met in New York to support negotiated resolutions to Indian land claims.

The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma joined four other tribes yesterday in an attempt to show unity in the land claims issue. The meeting came one day after the Supreme Court dealt a potential blow to the fortunes of the Oneida Indian Nation.

The tribes are pushing for passage of a proposal by New York Governor George Pataki to settle long-standing Indian land claims in the state. The governor's offer would allow the tribes to build five casinos in the Catskills.

Tuesday's ruling by the high court stated that an Indian tribe can't expand its tax-exempt holdings by buying up property that has been outside its reservation for generations.