In his keynote address to the Fifth Annual American Indian Studies Consortium in 2005 David Wilkins began by commenting on earlier attempts to formally organize such a gathering in ways that might help establish and accredit Indian studies programs. He said he had the sense that the thrust of earlier meetings "was really an opportunity for Native academics, graduate students, and their allies to meet, chat, socialize, and network." As he investigated the possibilities of more fully engaging the many powerful topics confronting Native nations, both within and outside the academy, Wilkins was reassured to discover that the consortium intended to take up Elizabeth Cook-Lynn's provocative essay, "Who Stole Native American Studies?" Both Wilkins's and the consortium's willingness to more carefully consider American Indian higher education signals a major shift in focus, a shift from an attitude that vital issues can most effectively be confronted through the legal system to a realization that legal actions can and should be bolstered by various other means, including aspects of Indian studies. In the author's own discussion, "Making Sense of Federal Indian Law," the author also asserted that an overdependence on the legal system has proven largely ineffective, particularly given the lack of support by the United States Supreme Court. The conclusions he reached advocate for a broader approach as well, one based in tribal ways of knowing and being. In this article, the author considers information and practices gathered from both tribal colleges and mainstream universities in order to clarify what it is they talk about when they talk about Indian studies and tribal ways of knowing and being. (Contains 15 notes.)