The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) of Oklahoma will apply to the U.S. Department of Interior to place 2.03 acres of land into trust.
According to the Tahlequah Daily Press, the move follows Interior’s announcement that it had withdrawn its approval of the land into trust for UKB gaming operations. The UKB previously operated a casino on the parcel.
The tribe will apply to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to cover attorney fees and litigation expenses. Assistant Chief Jeff Wacoche said the tribe was already paying attorney fees using BIA funds.
“We had to provide justification during the audit and it was all approved, but once they’d seen we were paying them out of the BIA, they reached out to us and said we have a program and grant that you can apply for that will pay for that,” he said.
The Tribal Council also approved a Small Business Loan application for tribal members. Chief Joe Bunch said if the application is approved, “we will get some loan money that—what I was told—is up to a little over $2 million in loans for our tribal people as far as business startups, expansions, purchase of land and things of that nature.”
