Elouise Cobell (1945-2011) took on the United States government, fighting tirelessly for federal accountability in one of the largest class action lawsuits ever filed against the U.S.
Elouise Cobell (1945-2011) took on the United States government, fighting tirelessly for federal accountability in one of the largest class action lawsuits ever filed against the U.S.
History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Sundus Hassan, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejada. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
Native women have always been important players in society. Their legacies deserve recognition. It’s critical that Indigenous women are given their rightful space in the historical record. This month, we’re highlighting Indigenous women from around the globe.
Today we’re highlighting the incredible story of a woman who took on the United States government. She fought tirelessly for federal accountability in one of the largest class action lawsuits ever filed against the U.S. And, she won. Let’s talk about Elouise Cobell.
Elouise Cobell was born on November 5th, 1945 on the Blackfeet Reservation in what’s known as Montana. Elouise, also known as Yellow Bird Woman, was the great, great granddaughter of the esteemed Mountain Chief of the Blackfoot Nation. He was known for his refusal to compromise with the U.S. government. Later in life, she said: “A little bit of him trickled down to me.”
Growing up, Elouise was a middle child of 8 siblings. Her parents owned a small ranch and like many people in her community, her family did not have access to running water or electricity. Life was hard for young Elouise, 3 of her siblings didn’t make it past childhood.
During her youth, Elouise listened to the stories adults shared around her. Often, the stories referred to the BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs, grossly mismanaging money.
The BIA’s roots go back as early as 1775. But the BIA as we know it today began in 1947.
One of the responsibilities of the BIA is to properly manage Native American owned land and any proceeds made from its lease in trusts.
For young Elouise, stories of broken trusts impacted her views of finance and justice.
Elouise was a bashful kid with a thirst for knowledge.
When Elouise was 4, her father built a 1 room schoolhouse on the reservation. One day visiting the school with her father, Elouise refused to leave the building until she could attend classes there. She attended elementary and middle school there. Elouise said the school “opened [her] eyes.” It introduced her to a world outside the reservation. She attended and graduated from a high school 50 miles away.
Elouise was good with numbers and started to notice things with the BIA weren’t adding up. Throughout the years, she noticed the BIA gave her family sporadic checks for tiny amounts without any explanation.
When she was 18 years old, she began looking into her trust. At the time BIA agents told her she didn’t know what she was doing, so she started studying accounting at Great Falls Commercial College and later studied business at the University of Montana. In college she interned for the BIA and witnessed many people get dismissed when they asked about their accounts.
In 1976, Elouise became the treasurer of the Blackfeet Nation. She kept running into issues with the BIA when it came to the tribe’s assets. When she’d make note of a discrepancy or ask for explanations, officials would tell her to learn how to read financial statements. Feeling humiliated -- but not defeated -- Elouise continued to keep track of discrepancies and sought different financial avenues for her tribe.
In 1983, the only bank in the reservation closed and no other banks wanted to open a branch. Most banks didn’t want to deal with tribal jurisdiction, so to close the gap, Elouise founded the first bank owned by a tribe. The Blackfeet National Bank, which is now called the Native American Bank started with $1 million dollars in capital. In ten years, its assets grew to $17 million.The bank provided secure financing across Indigenous communities.
Then, in 1996, Elouise and the Native American Rights Fund filed a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior for mismanagement of Funds. The lawsuit claimed that the BIA had been abusing the Indian Trust Fund for over a century, causing Indigenous people to live in impoverished conditions without alternatives.
The lawsuit took over a decade to settle. Elouise and her lawyers agreed to a $3.4 billion dollar settlement including “$1.5 billion for the members of the lawsuit, $1.9 billion for a Land Consolidation Program, and $60 million for a college scholarship fund for Native American youth.”
It took another year for Congress to actually appropriate the money from the settlement. In December 2010, the final signing ceremony took place in Washington. President Obama credited the moment as a “step towards a sincere reconciliation” between the federal government and Indigenous peoples.
Six months after the signing, Elouise passed away from cancer. She was 66 years old.
After her death, a small note remained taped on her computer, it read:
“First they ignore you / Then they laugh at you / Then they fight you / Then you win.”
All month, we’re honoring the legacy of Indigenous women. For more updates on Womanica, follow me directly on twitter @jennymkaplan
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!