Oregon Public Broadcasting

Northwest tribal leaders are happy that a 13-year lawsuit over federal management of Indian trust land has finally been settled.

Federal officials Tuesday announced the government has agreed to pay more than three billion dollars to millions of Native Americans.

Doug Nadvornick reports no one's sure yet how much of that will be coming to the Northwest.

Native leaders say the federal system for managing 11 million acres of Indian trust land has been broken for years.

They allege the government can't account for money that should have been paid for the rights to use native land. Much of that comes from oil and natural gas, but it also includes timber land.

Their case, filed back in 1996, originally sought tens of billions in damages, but the plaintiffs ended up with much less.

Still, native leaders like Brian Cladoosby call the settlement a "monumental event" in Indian Country.

Cladoosby is the president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.

Brian Cladoosby: "The tribes were looking for some kind of closure to this sad chapter in the United States history of their mismanagement of trust funds."

The Obama administration has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle the claims of mismanagement. It will also spend another two billion to buy back native trust land.

Congress and a federal court must first sign off on the deal.