Blackfeet Tribe to Distribute $9 Million to Members
The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council has announced that $9 Million, approximately 1/2 of the total $19 Million settlement for the tribe through litigation regarding the mismanagement of Tribal Funds will be distributed to members of the Blackfeet Tribe in June.
The per-capita payment will amount to approximately $550 for each member.
According to TJ Show, business council executive chairman, the Council received a great deal of input from tribal members regarding how the $19 million should be spent. Some members felt the money should be spent on the youth of the Blackfeet Nation, others felt better funding for existing programs would be the best use of the funds and still others wanted the entire settlement to be paid out in per-capita payments. In the end, the Council decided they would distribute $9M to the members in per-capita payments and use the other $$ in a way that is yet to be determined.
The distribution is scheduled to take place on June 28, but may be slightly delayed because of the short time frame, limited staffing and the tribal election scheduled for June 26.