Arming themselves with "manifest destiny" rhetoric, which claimed divine Anglo-Saxon superiority as justification for the conquest of Indigenous and Mexican peoples and the land they occupied, white settlers forcefully pushed into California territory. The two-year-long Mexican-American War resulted in the acquisition of the present-day…

This article seeks to explain the nature of the arguments the Iroquois presented to the US government in trying to prevent their removal. In the letters they wrote to the federal government from the 1830s to the 1850s they emphasized their own law as well as that of the United States. They drew on whatever perception of law they deemed was best…

At approximately 9,500 years old, two sets of human remains from La Jolla, California (W-12), known as the University House Burials due to the physical location of their discovery on property owned by the University of California, San Diego, are some of the oldest in the United States. These burials are central to a repatriation controversy…

This article examines research on the impacts of high-stakes accountability policies in the USA--in particular, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001--on Native American learners. NCLB's goals are laudable: close the achievement gap by making schools accountable for learning among all student groups, and by ensuring that all students are…

In this interpretive analysis elucidating fundamental tensions of the implementation of the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act within Native-serving schools, we point to ways in which NCLB further limits the already contested sovereignty tribes exercise over how, and in what language their children are instructed. We discuss issues related to…

Discusses the history, purposes, and provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA); recent high-profile transracial adoption cases; the debate over whether ICWA purposes have been realized; the proposed Adoption Promotion and Stability Act, which would severely limit application of ICWA to adoption cases; and proposed compromise amendments to…

An account of the Miccosukees' struggle to wrest control over their own economic destiny from conservative elements within the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Department of the Interior is provided. The tenacity of Buffalo Tiger and his tribe with the support of Bobo Dean, Commissioner Bruce and the "Young Turks", helped pave the way for…

Provides historical background on federal policies related to Indian family rights and child welfare and on legislation leading up to the Indian Child Welfare Act. Interprets the act with regard to jurisdiction and standards for child placement for foster care and adoption. Discusses federal funding of the act and monitoring of state compliance.…

In this report, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs reports favorably on Senate Bill 569 to amend the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 and recommends its passage with an amendment. In enacting ICWA, Congress sought to: (1) protect the relationship between Indian children and their parents; (2) affirm the tribal right to participate…

This report was submitted in support of an amendment to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) that will extend and expand the Self-Governance Demonstration Project. In late 1987, several Congressional committees investigated allegations of fraud and mismanagement in the administration of federal Indian programs. In…

Presenting testimony on legislation to restore the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (Oregon) to the status of a federally recognized tribe, these hearings from the 95th Congress include: (1) the text of the bill itself (S. 1560); (2) testimony given by 3 individuals (a representative from the Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of…

Discusses enactment, implementation, feedback, and reformulation of P.L. 93-638, permitting tribes to assume control of federal Indian programs. Focuses on 1975-80, during which policymakers addressed the lack of responsiveness by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service to tribal takeover demands. Contains 26 references. (SV)

Describes the Kickapoo tribe's successful adaptation to federal policies of Indian self-determination during the 1970s and its devastation by budget cuts in the 1980s. Argues that the Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975 failed to establish concrete implementation mechanism, thereby impeding its own goals and perpetuating tribal dependence.…

The decade of the 1970s witnessed major achievement by Native Americans in the area of self-determination of the structure and content of their education system. (Author)

Legal gaming operations are permitting various Indian nations to build strong economies and well-managed tribal governments that fund education and social services as first priorities. Experiences of the Wisconsin Oneida and Mashantucket Pequot (Connecticut) demonstrate that when access to resources and markets is not prevented, Indians have a…