Amerindians on reservations cannot have individual titles to their land

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56531691

Amerindians on reservations cannot have individual titles to their land
Stabroek News, Wednesday, October 24th 2007

Dear Editor,

It is being rumoured that our 4 miles community at Kaituma will be
established as an Amerindian reservation, which would be quite a
surprise to the majority of residents.

An Amerindian reservation should only be granted by the mutual consent
of the majority of the adult population that permanently reside within
the community. Any attempt to do otherwise is to contravene the
Amerindian Act which provides at Section (60) (e) for "a resolution
authorizing the application and passed by at least two thirds of the
adult members of the Amerindian community."

I am not aware of any meeting being held.

A resolution is defined in the dictionary as "a course of action
determined or decided upon, a formal statement of a decision put before
or adopted by an assembly".

My dear Amerindian brothers and sisters at 4 miles who are clamouring
for a reservation and who are in the minority, are doing so because
they are not properly acquainted with the difference between a communal
title and individual titles. With an individual title you can enhance
the chances of obtaining a loan from the banking system.

In an Amerindian reservation with communal title the captain is the
sole guardian and therefore holds the title for all the land that is
allocated to the reservation. No one is permitted to have an individual
title for the land which they occupy.

I am an Amerindian and have been brought up in a reservation, my
great-grandfather has lived eighty-nine years on a reservation, my
grandfather eighty-five years, my mother eighty-one years and myself
another forty one years.

We could not have individual titles because the Amerindian Act forbids
this. It is now nine years since I have resettled and taken up
permanent residence in Region #1.

My dear brothers, sisters, and friends I have no further desire to live
on land which my children and I cannot own or have individual title to.

Yours faithfully,

J.H. Roberts