31.   It is hard to imagine another issue that forces Americans to confront their sinful past quite like an Indian land claim.

32.   Lawyers for the tribes characterized the decision as very favorable to their cause, noting that similar arguments were defeated in a land claim brought by the Cayuga Indians.

33.   Like many others, Blumenthal believes the real reason for the land claims is to pressure the state to let the tribe open a casino, possibly in Bridgeport.

34.   Loyalist land claims remain an issue between Canada and the United States, one unlikely ever to be resolved.

35.   Meanwhile, with the land claims pending, title questions have been raised about property throughout much of Texas.

36.   More important, they receive no legal assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, so their land claims hang in limbo.

37.   Nevertheless, rival native groups within the province oppose the treaty because it impinges on their own land claims.

38.   New Jersey Attorney General Peter Verniero would not comment on any possible land claims by the Delaware.

39.   Powless instead hopes that a settlement with the state of New York over ancient land claims will bring his brethren the resources they desperately need.

40.   Some see the science stations as thinly veiled anchors for future land claims.