But few details have been heard about the Miami's legal argument. Jim Meadows spoke with the tribe's attorney, Thomas Osterholt. Jim Meadows talked with George Sotos of the Illinois Attorney General's office about the lawsuit. Sotos says the suit is still in its early stages, as the state seeks permission to enter the case and ask for its dismissal, without giving up its sovereign immunity. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma say they would drop their land claim lawsuit if the state of Illinois would join them at the bargaining table.
Negotiations are an accepted process between Indian tribes and state government in Oklahoma.
But as Jim Meadows reports, what Oklahomans take in stride would be a new experience for Illinoisans. The lost language The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's lawsuit to reclaim land in Illinois has become well known in the state. But the Miami are involved in another reclamation effort which has nothing to do with lawsuits or property. It's an effort by members of both the Oklahoma and Indiana Miami to reclaim their own language, which fell out of common usage in the 20th century. A f uture segment will explore the history behind the Miami's claim.