You cannot accept money in exchange for something that was not, in your understanding, ever yours to sell.

The Hills were held in trust for the people, for the future, for the ongoing relationship with the world they represent.

They were not a commodity.

This understanding has been articulated clearly by tribal leaders across the decades.

“The land is not for sale,” said by elder women at the 1980 rallies held after the Supreme Court decision, was not defiance for its own sake.

It was a statement about the nature of what was being discussed.