Tribal nations have entered an era of nation building or the process by which a native nation enhances its foundational capacity for effective self-governance and self-determination. While many tribal nations have become more economically secure in recent years, legitimacy has remained elusive for some. Successful tribal nations, alongside…

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's election to the presidency in 1932 signaled a mandate for sweeping reform at the federal level to lift the nation out of the economic turbulence of the Great Depression. Under Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) joined other agencies in launching policies to rebuild economic…

This paper examines the way the term "self-determination" is used in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. Its main thesis is that the Act does not in fact offer tribal governments self-determination, but instead reaffirms old power configurations that go back to the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.…

The fragmentation of large nineteenth-century reservations resulted in the creation of American Indian allotment geographies in the United States. Federal Indian policy, namely the General Allotment Act of 1887, allowed the US government to break up large reservations, allot land to individual Indians, and sell the surplus to non-Indian settlers.…

This article understands North America's indigenous peoples in the context of social justice. The authors discuss the role of legislation in shaping cultural contexts of indigenous people and influencing mental health issues in Native American communities. Trauma counseling with Native Americans is explored.

American Indians have suffered a series of alterations in federal/tribal relations with rebuilding of Indian communities revived one moment but dashed the next by changes in national policy. This collection of papers focuses on consequences of an ever-changing American Indian policy and its impact on the lives and cultural values of American…

This article examines competing views of representation and authorship regarding Native American communities in a variety of projects supported by the Federal Writers' Project (FWP), including the American Guide series and state-sponsored works. The author begins by briefly contextualizing the FWP's Native American projects within the shifting…

This document discusses tribal governance as part of the "Native American Week" on Montana State University's Bozeman campus. The document contains a commissioned paper, a panel discussion, a speech, and a list of legal documents of tribal governments in Montana. The commissioned paper, "Federal Indian Policy: A Summary," by…

Compares the impact of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 on the Hopis, Western Shoshones, and Southern Utes with regard to land reform, economic development, and tribal management. Describes salient tribal characteristics prior to 1934, and federal government tactics to force acceptance of the Act. Contains 83 references. (SV)

The 19 sections of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 are briefly analyzed. (JC)

Compares tribal government of the Upper Skagit tribe and St. Lawrence Island Eskimos. Summarizes tribal histories and describes current relationships with federal, state, and county governments. Reveals the complexities of tribal government functions and the dominant influence of federal policies on tribal affairs. Contains 10 references. (SV)

Keynote addresses and panel sessions at a conference examining Indian history in the 50 years since the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) are collected in this volume. Part One discusses the Indian New Deal and federal Indian policy from 1933-1945. Part Two deals with 1945-1960 and the federal policy of terminating tribal status. Part…

Describes the seventy-day confrontation between the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization and American Indian Movement, and the U.S. Department of Justice at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. (RJ)

The article discusses the important events, influences, and people in Indian education in the late nineteenth century, early twentieth century, the New Deal era, the Termination period, and the 1960s. It highlights federal involvement and pertinent legislation from 1869-1966. (SB)