The US government will pay more than $500 million to the Native American Navajo tribe in the US southwest, ending decades-old disputes over use of their land, officials said Wednesday.

Under the agreement — to be formally signed Friday in Window Rock, Arizona — the Navajo will receive $554 million, the Navajo Nation and US Department of Justice told AFP.

In return, the tribe will waive lawsuits over US management of Navajo resources and funds.

Navajo Indians

The sum is the largest ever paid by the United States to a single tribe, according to The Washington Post.

“This historic agreement resolves a longstanding dispute between the United States and the Navajo Nation, including some claims that have been sources of tension for generations,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement sent to AFP.

Half of all Navajo land is rented out for agricultural and forestry purposes, oil and gas production, and mineral extraction, among other uses.

The Navajo reservation, straddling the western states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, is the largest in the United States, covering around 70,000 square miles (181,299 square kilometers).

“This landmark resolution ends protracted and burdensome litigation. It will provide important resources to the Navajo Nation. And it fairly and honorably resolves a legal conflict over the accounting and management of tribal resources,” Holder said.

The Navajos are the largest indigenous tribe in the United States with more than 300,000 members.

“After a long, hard-won process, I am pleased that we have finally come to a resolution on this matter to receive fair and just compensation for the Navajo Nation,” Ben Shelly, president of th