The the resource I chose to examine was Bureau of IndianAffairs- Native American and Law Frequent Questions. I thought this would be
interesting to view being that perhaps there are some questions that I have
that will be answered in this resource. What I really liked about this resource
is that it lists various questions that people may generally have and gives
in-depth answers to them. The questions are geared towards the government side
of tribal affairs which also caught my interest because I am still a little
confused about the relationship between the U.S. government and the Native
Tribes that are still in existence today.
One of the questions that caught my attention was about
federally recognized tribes:
“What is a federally recognized tribe?
A federally recognized tribe is an American Indian or Alaska
Native tribal entity that is recognized as having a government-to-government
relationship with the United States, with the responsibilities, powers,
limitations, and obligations attached to that designation, and is eligible for
funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Furthermore, federally recognized tribes are recognized as
possessing certain inherent rights of self-government (i.e., tribal
sovereignty) and are entitled to receive certain federal benefits, services,
and protections because of their special relationship with the United
States. At present, there are 566
federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages.”
What I was curious about (and if anyone knows, feel free to
answer) is, are there tribes here that are not federally recognized? How does
that affect them? I think it’s interesting that people that were here way
before us have to recognized by a government that was created by others, not
them.
Another question-answer that stood out to me was:
“Must all American Indians and Alaska Natives live on
reservations?
No. American Indians
and Alaska Natives live and work anywhere in the United States (and the world)
just as other citizens do. Many leave
their reservations, communities or villages for the same reasons as do other
Americans who move to urban centers: to
seek education and employment. Over
one-half of the total U.S. American Indian and Alaska Native population now
live away from their tribal lands.
However, most return home to visit relatives; attend family gatherings
and celebrations; participate in religious, cultural, or community activities;
work for their tribal governments; operate businesses; vote in tribal elections
or run for tribal office; retire; or to be buried.”
I thought this was also interesting being that we’ve learned
that the Native Americans were once forced on to the reservations and today, it
is not necessary for them to live on the reservation. What bothers me is the
fact they were place onto a reservation in the first place. Although there are
laws now that protect them and such, once upon a time they were forced to be
there.
Overall, this resource provided great insight in regards to
the relationship between the Native American tribes and the United States
government.
