Tundra times., 1963-03-18
EDITORIAL
 minto Claims missinq

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 Back in l938 inc village of Minto drew up a docu- men signed and sent if to inc Alaska Native Service in Juneau Alaska Native Service inc predecessor of inc present Bureau of Indian Affairs.
 Again in lo5o, the village drew up another document and sent ii 10 the Bureau of Indian Affairs These documents very important. They documents drawn up by the people of Mnto claiming their historic land around them, the land that had been inc means of their very existence Previously the Minto people had moi thought much about written documents. There need for them. The spoken word was honored
 With the arrival of non-naves however, it became important that written claims be filed for inc land People began to into the Mnto Flats and claimed portions of the land as theirs.
 The Minto people drew up and turned over to re- sponsble BA officials in good faith their written claims and were given assurances on two different occasions their claims would be filed. ~I What happened to those documents? Where are thev today? Why they not filed with inc Bureau of Land Management as the law prescribes?
 Some officials shug off these questions saying per- haps inc documents moi in inc right legal form If so why were inc people of Minto never informed?
 This is indeed intriguing and disturbing mystery that needs to be solved for the people who truly concerned
 Since inc claims not recorded in inc Fairbanks BLM office, much trouble has ensued Having no record of them this agency has classified inc Mnto open to seecton by individuals and by the state The state has taken advantage of this situation and has applied 10 select land which inc people of Minto have claimed theirs Joe LawIor of inc Fairbanks State Land Office, who has made recently onhespot study of inc Mnto Lakes area for utilization, says the people are fully using the In fact he says inc Mino people need greater than they now claim.
 He also makes bones of inc intentions of inc state
 He says inc state is seeking the Mno Lakes because the area is valuable and is classified "open" by inc BLM
 LawIors statements diamecaIIy opposed 10 the recently released report of inc Task Force that The State Insists that does not intend to seek file to lands which the natives are clearly using or occupying"
 Not only inc Minto people. but also state agencies have been disturbed because inc claims not filed. Persons with the Fish and Game Department, since state Ihood and who formerly with inc US. Fish and Wd ming road halfway to Mnto, to the edge of the lakes. The road planned to open Mino Lakes reorea- lion area but until recently inc Mnto people were never consulted.
 According to these Fish and Game officials, they never knew Mnto claimed the until they protested state selection in inc fall of l961.
 The chief of Minto and his council have copies of inc documents proof positive that inc papers drawn up.
 ino people know and can testify that they were filed with the BA They severely handicapped because their claims were not filed
 Since they sent in their claim, individuals have made claims of in the Mnto Flats and many of these nd- vilduas have been given title. is this equality?