American Indian activist mourned

— Elouise Cobell was remembered Saturday as a warrior whose compassion and grit drove her to dedicate the last 16 years of her life to holding the U.S. government accountable for billions lost or stolen from her fellow American Indians.

Friends, family and American Indian leaders gathered on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation for a funeral Mass for Cobell, 65, who died last Sunday of cancer.

“She proved that with hard work and determination, the impossible is possible,” childhood friend, Zita Bremmer said.

Larry Echo Hawk, the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for Indian affairs, read a letter from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that said Cobell was “a significant force for change.” Her work in bringing about a $3.4 billion settlement for hundreds of thousands of American Indians honorably resolves the matter, Echo Hawk said.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 10/23/2011

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