RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – The Cheyenne River Sioux tribe may lose its buffalo herd if it cannot settle a $1 million claim by a rancher who says he was not paid for 308 bison that he sold to a tribal company five years ago.

Unless the tribe and the rancher, Clint Amiotte of Interior, can reach an agreement by Thursday, the U.S. marshal intends to auction the tribe's herd on Jan. 23, according to a letter Amiotte's lawyer sent to the tribe's chairman, tribal council and attorneys.

Amiotte's attorney, Allison F. Eklund of Roseville, Minn., declined comment on the case Friday.

Amiotte was granted a judgment of almost $1.1 million against a tribal company, Pte Hca Ka Inc., in August 2010 after the company did not contest the rancher's claims. The amount of money owed has since been reduced to about $750,000, not including interest, court filings say.

The Rapid City Journal reported (http://bit.ly/vHnXWr ) that the tribe's chairman, Kevin Keckler, wouldn't specify the size of the tribe's buffalo herd or comment on the case. Court documents indicate the tribe owns more than 400 bison.

Since the judgment was ordered, Pte Hca Ka has been working to have it set aside. U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange has not ruled on the request.

The Cheyenne River Sioux reservation is in north-central South Dakota, north of Pierre. Interior is about 70 miles southeast of Rapid City.

Amiotte shipped his buffalo in July and August of 2006 to slaughterhouses on the reservation and in Omaha, Neb., court documents say. He said he received one payment that summer, a $12,337 check from Pte Hca Ka, which bounced.

Since then, Amiotte has been paid $7,500 by Pte Hca Ka and $10,000 by the Cheyenne River tribe, as well as money seized from a bank account and payments from landowners who have been leasing land from Pte Hca Ka.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com