Show Affiliated Ute Citizens File Mineral Charge The U. U S S. S Supreme Court agreed last week to lo hear a case involving mixed mixed- bood Ute Ule Indians who vho claim they were defrauded of or their shares of or the tribal mineral rights by bv the he Bureau of or Indian Affairs First Security Bank nank of Salt Lake City and several non non Indian duals THE COMPLEX case grew out of or the termination several years ears ago of the mixed mixed bood bood from federal control Termination has been considered both a freeing of or Indians from federal pater paternalism and by some a denial of federal protection to Indians The termination of the federal responsibility responsibility for tor the Utes was made under under un un- der del a sp special act of Congress Implemented implemented by the Bureau of Indian Af Af- Af fairs Under the act a special corporation corporation corpor corpor- was set up to hold the tribal mineral min eral lands chief asset of the Ute Ulc Tribe on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation The terminated group received shares in the corporation known as the Ute Distribution Corporation Under the law the affected Indians were free to sell the shares BUT THE remainder of the tribal assets remained under control of the tribe which was not terminated from federal protection According to a brief by the Affiliated ed cd Ute Ule Citizens of the state stale of Utah most of the terminated minority sold their stock to non Indians at prices ranging rang ing from to a share According Accord Accord- ing to attorneys for the Affiliated Utes actual value was 1500 a share TH THE E FED FEDERAL E RAL district court in Utah upheld the Affiliated Ute claim against the United States several individuals who bought the stock and against First Security Bank which acted as transfer agent The Federal Court of Appeals overturned overturned over over- turned the district court judgment and the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Affiliated Utes' Utes appeal from the lower courts THE STOCK certificates involved in inthe inthe inthe the dispute bore warnings in red letters letters letters let let- that the value of the stock could not be accurately determined and suggested suggested sug sug- that it be retained by the In In- According to the briefs First Security Security Security Se Se- Bank held the certificates in its vaults and refused to show them to the Indian owners First Security strongly denied any wrongdoing and said that its position was merely as transfer agent The suit by the Utes was also opposed by the Department nt of Justice on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs |