The Black Hills were not for sale.

They had never been for sale.

The Supreme Court’s ruling, in their analysis, confirmed that the taking had been illegal — which was a vindication of sorts — but the monetary remedy it provided was not a resolution.

Accepting the money would mean something specific in legal terms: it would constitute a completed transaction.

The claim — the assertion that the Black Hills had been illegally taken and must be returned — would be extinguished.

The land would remain permanently in the possession of the United States, and the tribes would have, in effect, ratified the taking by accepting payment for it.