Native American reservation sold to recover unpaid taxes

Nwe York: US tax officials have sold more than 7,000 acres of an impoverished Native American reservation in what the tribe claims is a "shameful" and unprecedented breach of laws protecting Native Americans.

The Crow Creek Sioux ancestral land in South Dakota was auctioned on Thursday by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to help pay more than $3.1 million (Dh11.3 million) in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.

The tribe has begun a legal appeal and some Native Americans say they will protest by erecting tepees on the disputed land, which was part of the tribe's reservation established in an 1868 treaty.

Lawyers believe it is the first instance of the IRS seizing tribal lands in this way. "It's very disgraceful, very shameful. Our land is never for sale," said Brandon Sazue, the tribal chairman.

The tribe claims it never paid the taxes because it had been incorrectly told by federal officials that recognised tribes were exempt from them. While Native American tribes are not usually subject to taxes, exceptions are made for their business ventures.