This unit presents information on Native American treaties as a basis for rational thought on current controversies over these treaties' status. The unit contains three sections with five lesson plans each. Each lesson includes student material, goals, vocabulary, and questions for discussion. Section 1 covers (1) the purposes of government, and the type of government and its formation in the United States; (2) the nature and enforcement of the Constitution; (3) federalism and the distribution of political power; (4) cultural pluralism; and (5) a simulation game elucidating the conflict between private property and public necessity. Section 2 explains (1) what treaties are and how they are made; (2) background on Indian treaties; (3) treaty enforcement and change; (4) the future of Indian treaties; and (5) a simulation game clarifying the problems and frustrations of cross-cultural negotiation. Section 3 discusses the Indian fishing rights controversy, particularly with regard to the Northwest salmon fishing industry, and includes a simulation game pitting salmon fishermen against the state Department of Fisheries. Appendices include Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, the Treaty of Paris (1783) between the United States and Great Britain, the Treaty of Medicine Creek (1854) between the United States and nine Northwest tribes, and illustrations of salmon fishing gear in Puget Sound. (SV)