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Policy era

Contemporary: Repair, Repatriation, Co-Stewardship, and Land Back

Recent federal policy mixes apology, land consolidation, the National Bison Range transfer and hundreds of co-stewardship agreements, according to Interior.

Years
2000–2026

What happened

The contemporary era is not defined by one law. It is a run of apologies, settlements and returns, some of land, some of authority over it.

On September 8, 2000, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Gover, speaking at the Bureau of Indian Affairs' 175th anniversary, apologized. The BIA's own release says he extended a formal apology to Indian people for the historical conduct of the agency, which he described as ethnic cleansing and cultural annihilation.

The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, created in 2012 under the Cobell settlement, bought fractional interests in allotted land from willing individual owners and placed them in trust for tribes. Interior announced its conclusion on December 4, 2023, saying nearly 3 million acres in 15 states were consolidated and restored to tribal trust ownership, with $1.69 billion paid to more than 123,000 individuals. Interior frames the problem as a legacy of the General Allotment Act of 1887.

In a June 23, 2021 announcement, Interior said all National Bison Range lands, approximately 18,800.22 acres, were transferred to the BIA to be held in trust for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Congress approved this in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260). On December 9, 2024, Interior said the administration had signed 400 co-stewardship agreements with tribes, Alaska Native corporations and consortiums. Its annual co-stewardship report tracks Joint Secretary's Order 3403, signed in 2021.

Good to know. The figures come from Interior press releases, the agency's own reports. The nearly 3 million acres were consolidated fractional interests, not recovered ceded land.

Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Supported by the sources below; some details rest on one source.

  1. On behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, I extend this formal apology to Indian people for the historical conduct of this agency.Gover Apologizes For BIA's Misdeeds (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sept. 8, 2000)
  2. nearly 3 million acres in 15 states were consolidated and restored to Tribal trust ownershipThree Million Acres of Land Returned to Tribes Through Interior Department's Land Buy-Back Program (DOI)
  3. approximately 18,800.22 acres, to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to be held in trust for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai TribesInterior Transfers National Bison Range Lands to Trust for CSKT (DOI, June 23, 2021)
  4. applauded the 400 co-stewardship agreements signed by the Biden-Harris administration with Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and consortiumsSecretary Haaland Applauds 400 Co-Stewardship Agreements (DOI, Dec. 9, 2024)

Research notes. Interior press releases are agency self-reports. The Buy-Back figure is "nearly 3 million acres" per Interior and is a consolidation of fractional interests, not recovery of ceded land. The Cobell settlement amount, McGirt v. Oklahoma, revised trust-acquisition rules and other items are not covered here.

Who is doing the work

Native legal and land defense, nationally

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Connections

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Enacted in this era 49

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Happened in this era 31

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Sources

  1. doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-haaland-applauds-400-co-stewardship-agreements-under-bidenself-description
  2. bhfs.com/insight/doi-continues-policy-fluctuations-after-once-again-prohibiting-fee-to-truunclassified
  3. doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-transfers-national-bison-range-lands-trust-confederated-salself-description
  4. bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/gover-apologizes-bias-misdeedsreference work
  5. doi.gov/pressreleases/three-million-acres-land-returned-tribes-through-interior-departmentself-description
  6. govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-01-30/html/2026-01899.htmprimary record
  7. federalregister.gov/documents/2023/12/12/2023-27077/land-acquisitionsprimary record
  8. cbo.gov/publication/61786reference work
The record’s fields
Key acts
Cobell settlement via Claims Resolution Act of 2010 ($3.4 billion); Carcieri v. Salazar (2009); McGirt v. Oklahoma, 591 U.S. ___ (Jul 9, 2020); National Bison Range restoration (Pub. L. 116-260); Joint Secretarial Order 3403 (2021); revised 25 CFR Part 151 (effective Jan 11, 2024); Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act, S. 761 (119th Cong., reported Jul 31, 2025; no enactment found)
Effect on land
Trust base about 56 million surface acres (BIA, current); Land Buy-Back consolidated about 2.3 to 3 million acre-equivalents of fractional interests (figures differ by date); Bison Range 18,800.22 acres; Interior reported 400 co-stewardship agreements by Dec 9, 2024; other returns listed in secondary sources and not individually verified
Kind
Policy era
Confidence
Medium

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