The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma has finally resolved its land claims in Federal Court. Last month, Judge James Carr dismissed the Tribe’s lawsuit after land purchase settlement agreements were reached with the city of Lima and private property owners. According to the Toledo Blade, the order dismissing the suits did not constitute federal recognition of the Tribe’s aboriginal status in Ohio. Attorney General Marc Dann said that the dismissal has no impact on the state or its opposition to gambling. “This is not recognition of land rights, which would move them a step toward being recognized by the [United States],” Dann said.

The Tribe’s next step, according to the Lima News, is to begin the process of having the land taken into trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Until that next step is completed, gambling under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act cannot begin.