The definition and goals of education are mercurial, varying widely across time and space. In Cambodia, which has experienced both flux and reflux over time, education--particularly in schools--has strongly reflected the political circumstances of the time. Education as a fundamental human right is a very new idea: it was, and still is to a…

The right to education is an internationally recognized right. As part of the global movement for Education for All in the past two decades, the right to basic education has emerged in international law, and it carries international obligations--political and legal--on account of collective commitments by the international community for its…

This article is adapted from "Chew Heong v. United States: Chinese Exclusion and the Federal Courts", written by Lucy Salyer, associate professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, for inclusion in the Federal Judicial Center's project, "Federal Trials and Great Debates in United States History." In 1882, Congress…

On August 1st, 2007, Indigenous nations from within the United States, Canada, Australia, and Aotearoa (New Zealand) signed a treaty to found the United League of Indigenous Nations. The Treaty of Indigenous Nations offers a historic opportunity for sovereign Indigenous governments to build intertribal cooperation outside the framework of the…

Changes in government policy during the 1960s caused Canada's Indians to lose much of their special status as well as certain treaty and aboriginal rights. Article looks at past and present of Indian law, present status of the government-Indian relationship, and struggle of the Indians to achieve self-determination. (DS)

Presenting a view that tribal governments should lay the foundation and be most responsible for the well-being of tribal members, this interview details a concise and informative view of the federal Indian relationship. The federal trust responsibility, treaties, self-determination, and the role of tribal governments are discussed at length. (RTS)

Stressing the importance of comparing the experiences of indigeneous people throughout the world, this article reviews history of British aboriginal relations in New Zealand and Australia, thus shedding a new perspective on Indian affairs in North America. (Author/ DS)

Relates the removal of the Palouse Indians to northeastern Oklahoma in 1878. Describes the conditions of their exile and the efforts that led to their eventual return to the Pacific Northwest in 1885. (NEC)

Michigan has had responsibilities for educating the state's American Indians since the Comstock Agreement of 1934. A 1976 legislative act and its subsequent revisions provided for state institutions of higher education to grant free tuition to certain American Indians through the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver (ITW) program. Eligible Indians had…

Examines Alaska Natives' land claims and current issues surrounding Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (1972). Although Act was passed to preserve Native control of land, current conditions threaten Natives with loss of control. Discusses legislative proposals of Alaska Federation of Natives as possible remedies. (TES)

Of major concern to American Indians are: government to government communications; development of Indian owned energy resources; federal budget changes as they affect the American Indian; preservation, protection, and quantification of inherent and reserved Indian water rights; preservation of treaty obligations; respect for tribal sovereignty;…

Asserting that non-Indians, by and large, have inevitably viewed Indians and interpreted their words, deeds, lifeways and values from their own Euro-American perspectives, this article suggests this has led to misunderstanding, frictions and conflicts which plague the relationships between Indians and non-Indians today. (Author/RTS)

Overview of some of the most important Indian court cases of the last decade, including ones regarding treaty rights, tribal jurisdiction and sovereignty, tax jurisdiction, land claims, and hunting and fishing rights. (DS)

Examines development of federal-Indian trust relationship and separate "government-government" relationship between U.S. government and federally recognized tribes. Analyzes inconsistencies produced by government's administration of two relationships. Sees trust relationship (guardianship doctrine) as one aspect of government-government…

First tracing the historical background of Canadian-Indian policy, article then presents an in-depth analysis of the Indian Act, the mainstay of that policy. Apparently little has changed over the years: the Indian Act continues to thwart Indian sovereignty and self-determination. (Author/DS)