len kasper has been talking to the native american tribe about the case. >> reporter: on the indian reservation0 acres of land just outside of town, this council member offers a blunt message to the group that has taken over federal property. >> go home. we don't want you here. we don't need for you to standing up for us. you are on our burr real grounds. get the hell out of here. >> reporter: kennedy's ancestors made this area home for thousands of years before being scattered by the nation's west-ward expansion. their land taken by white settlers and the government. they didn't gain formal federal recognition until 1972. about half of the tribe, 200 people or so live on the reservation. >> we have to look at the planning down the road, not just at this moment. because each of us have got grandkids coming up. >> reporter: tribal leaders were among those who spoke up. >> they have no understanding. they have no concept of what -- i mean, did the world just start back in the 1860s when the first settlers came into this area? no. >> reporter: the issue of native american lands and sovereignty cle