Examines federal and state governments' attempts to suppress peyote use in Indian rituals as historically Christian-inspired. Focuses on questions of morality versus criminal law. Explains history and development of Native American Church of North America. Examines nine contemporary peyote trials. Concludes larger questions of tribal sovereignty…

Land; exploitation of land; and changing Indian needs, attitudes, and religious demands define environmental issues facing modern Native Americans. Such issues are related to agriculture and ranching, forests and watersheds, hunting and fishing, water, natural resource mining and pollution, hazardous and radioactive waste storage, urbanization of…

Argues that the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs, while espousing a policy of "devolution" of control to Indian bands, continues to contain and control Indians and Indian lands by failing to provide needed information to band administrators. Describes categories of information needs and the development of information systems…

Describes the state of confusion that exists among the Canadian government, society, and the Canadian Indian Community. Reviews the ongoing constitutional debate in Canada. Calls for better communication between the Canadian majority population and Canadian Indians. (CFR)

Reviews efforts by American Indian tribes during the previous 50 years to reacquire lands within reservation boundaries from non-Indian ownership. Describes efforts of the Rosebud Sioux, Muckleshoot, Umatilla, Navajo, Quinault, and Blackfeet tribes, as well as the Indian Land Working Group, an intertribal group promoting the exchange of…

The success of the Inuit people of Canada in seeking political autonomy resulted in the creation of the Nunavut territory. The new Government of Nunavut (GN) has instituted Inuit Quajimajatiqangit (IQ), the values, norms, and traditional knowledge of the Inuit, as formal policy to guide the delivery of health, social, and civil services in order…

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…

This proceedings contains 10 papers that examine specific aspects of Indian political history together with commentaries that relate the papers to broader historical themes. All papers were drawn from works in progress. The commentators are senior scholars and Indian political leaders. Papers include "The Context of American Indian Political…

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is profiled from its inception in 1834 to 1980. Beginning with the trust relationship between tribes and the U.S. government, particularly as relates to natural resources, various ways in which reservation economies have developed are discussed. Tribal governments' new authority and renewed ambitions for…

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…

Canadian Indians have developed policy statements based on the educational principles of parental responsibility and local control. Many social problems affecting Canadian Indians are attributed to ineffectual educational systems alien to Indian cultures. Topics discussed include traditional community education, repressive boarding and day school…

Part one of a two-part article discusses the continuing problems of Indian tribes in negotiating equitable mining leases yielding reasonable economic returns without excessive social and environmental disruption. The article reviews several successful tribal actions and suggests courses of action for Indian planners and leaders. (Author/SB)

Focusing on the current policy, organization and direction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, this edited interview addressed such issues as BIA reorganization, delivery systems, PL 93-638, Indian Water Rights, Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, PL 95-561 and Indian Education. (RTS)

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)