- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Real Estate
A rare "friendly condemnation" action will transfer more than 45,000 acres of Arizona state trust land into federal trust for the Hopi Tribe, advancing one of the largest tribal land consolidation efforts underway in the United States.
Unlike a traditional condemnation, the process is carried out with the state's consent. The Justice Department filing, announced June 12, is part of a series of actions expected to bring more than 270,000 acres into trust ownership for the tribe.
Under the transfer, the Hopi Tribe will deposit $8.4 million with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona as compensation for the land, which the Interior Department will place into federal trust. “The Hopi People are in the process of planting their corn. I pray that this land reacquisition is a newly planted seed that will provide abundant benefits for the Hopi Tribe,” Chairman Lamar B. Keevama said in a statement. “It is fitting that this historic moment coincides with such an important time.”
The filing carries out the requirements of the Navajo‑Hopi Land Dispute Settlement Act of 1996, which authorized the land transfers with Arizona’s consent. Federal officials said the action supports the tribe’s long‑term efforts to expand its trust land base, strengthen ranching operations and eliminate the checkerboarded pattern of state and tribal ownership across lands long used by Hopi ranchers.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum called the filing “a significant milestone” in meeting long-standing commitments to the Hopi Tribe and said placing the land into trust would support the tribe's self-governance and economic development efforts.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said the state is fulfilling obligations that had remained unresolved for decades. The transfer reflects her administration’s commitment to working with tribal nations as partners in governance and economic development, she said.
The action filing builds on an earlier action announced on Dec. 20, 2024 that transferred more than 20,000 acres through the same process.
Combined, the two filings cover more than 65,000 acres and move the Hopi Tribe closer to consolidating ownership of lands with cultural, economic and agricultural importance. Additional filings are expected as federal officials continue implementing the 1996 settlement.
