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<br />I", - -; :~I ~ 0 <br />J II', , . . <br /> <br />U. INDIAN RESERVED WATER RIGHTS AND THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN <br /> <br />A. Indian Lands in the Missouri River Basin <br /> <br />Several types or classifications of Indian lands can be identified. They may be <br /> <br />tribal lands or Jands aJJotted to individuaJ tribaJ members. The title to both tribaJ <br /> <br />and allotted lands is held in trust by the U.S. Government. Both tribaJ and allotted <br /> <br />Jands may exist on or off Indian reservations, by virtue of reservation boundaries <br /> <br />having been aJtered over time. Indian Jands aJso may have passed from Indian <br /> <br />ownership by virtue of being soJd by allottees or their heirs. These Jands may also <br /> <br />be on or off Ind ian reservations and are significant insofar as they may carry an <br /> <br />Indian reserved water right as previously noted. <br /> <br />According to a J 978 report of Indian lands plJllished by the Bureau of Indian <br /> <br />Affairs' Office of Trust Responsibilities, there are about 12.3 miJJion acres of Indian <br /> <br />lands in the Missouri River Basin. This represents about 3.7 percent of the basin's <br /> <br />519,635 square miles within the United States. <br /> <br />Indian lands in the Missouri River Basin occur on 23 Indian reservations, several <br /> <br />other types of holdings such as "reserves" and schools, and off Indian reservations. <br /> <br />Of the ten states sharing the Missouri River Basin, onJy three - CoJorado, Minnesota <br /> <br />and Missouri - are not listed as containing Indian lands with the basin's boundary. <br /> <br />Table I lists Indian lands in the Missouri River Basin, and Figure I shows the location <br /> <br />of the 23 Indian reservations. <br /> <br />-23- <br />