The Latest: Tribe says armed activists 'desecrating' land

Updated 9:48 am, Wednesday, January 6, 2016


Photo: Rick Bowmer, AP

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A man stands guard in a watch tower at sunrise at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not ... more



BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The latest on an armed group that took over federal buildings at an Oregon wildlife refuge (all times local):

9:25 a.m.

The leader of an Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by a small, armed group opposed to federal land policy says the activists aren't welcome and need to leave.

Burns Paiute Tribal Chair Charlotte Rodrique told reporters Wednesday that the tribe is concerned about damage to cultural artifacts. She says the group is "desecrating one of our sacred sites."

The activists seized buildings at the remote Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. Authorities had not yet moved to oust the group of roughly 20 people.

Rodrique said the Paiute people spent winters in the area before settlers, ranchers and trappers arrived.

She says the tribe signed a federal treaty in 1868 and expected the government to honor the agreement to protect their interests though the U.S. Senate never approved it.

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