Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma v. Richards

ROBERT M. PARKER, Circuit Judge:

Appellant, the Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma (“the Tribe” or “the Tonkawas”) brought suit against the State of Texas, its Governor and Land Commissioner (“the State”) to compel the State to donate unspecified Texas lands to the Tribe for use as a homeland, and seeking damages on the basis of an 1866 Act of the Texas Legislature. The district court granted summary judgment for the State. We affirm.

FACTS

Prior to the Spanish colonization of Texas, the Tonkawas lived in what later became central Texas. During the Indian Wars, the Tonkawas served as scouts and fought…