The UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
has called on the United States to mitigate the "sense of loss"
among the Native American community by restoring some tribal
lands. James Anaya, made the comments after a 12-day tour of the
United States, during which he met with tribal leaders in the
capital as well as in the states of Arizona, Alaska, Oklahoma,
Oregon, South Dakota and Washington. "The sense of loss,
alienation and indignity is pervasive throughout Indian
country," Anaya said in a statement released Friday. "It is
evident that there have still not been adequate measures of
reconciliation to overcome the persistent legacies of the
history of oppression, and that there is still much healing that
needs to be done." He pointed to the loss of tribal lands as a
particularly sore point, naming the Black Hills of South Dakota
and the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona as places where
indigenous peoples feel they have "too little control."
"Securing the rights of indigenous peoples to their l