American Indian Policy

American Indian Policy
Author: Lyman H. Legters
Publisher: Praeger
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1993-10-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780313289927

This survey of American Indian policy provides a short history of the mainly unsuccessful efforts by American Indians in the past to assert themselves, and then examines changing concepts relating to self-governance and political, economic, legal, educational, religious, and employment rights. This assessment of Indian opportunities and difficulties examines self-governance in relation to economic development, the redefinition of property rights, the status of development on Indian reservations, and the success some tribes have had in attempting to utilize their resources appropriately and more effectively.

The Other Side Of The Frontier

The Other Side Of The Frontier
Author: Linda L Barrington
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2018-02-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 0429975694

A collection of essays by renowned scholars of Native American economic history, The Other Side of the Frontier presents one of the first in-depth studies of the complex interaction between the history of Native American economic development and the economic development of the United States at large. Although recent trends in the field of economics have encouraged the study of minority groups such as Asians and African Americans, little work has been done in Native American economic history. This text fills an existing gap in economic history literature and will help students come to a richer understanding of the effects that U.S. economic policy has had on the culture and development of its indigenous peoples.

The Return of the Native

The Return of the Native
Author: Stephen Cornell
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 1990-07-19
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0190281707

An incisive look at American Indian and Euro-American relations from the 16th century to the present, this book focuses on how such relations have shaped the Native American political identity and tactics in the ongoing struggle for power. Cornell shows how, in the early days of colonization, Indians were able to maintain their nationhood by playing off the competing European powers; and how the American Revolution and westward expansion eventually caused Native Americans to lose their land, social cohesion, and economic independence. The final part of the book recounts the slow, steady reemergence of American Indian political power and identity, evidenced by militant political activism in the 1960s and early 1970s. By paying particular attention to the evolution of Indian groups as collective actors and to changes over time in Indian political opportunities and their capacities to act on those opportunities, Cornell traces the Indian path from power to powerlessness and back to power again.

Reservation "Capitalism"

Reservation
Author: Robert J. Miller
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2013-11-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0803246315

Native American peoples suffer from health, educational, infrastructure, and social deficiencies of the sort that most Americans who live outside tribal lands are wholly unaware of and would not tolerate. Indians are the poorest people in the United States, and their reservations are appallingly poverty-stricken; not surprisingly, they suffer from the numerous social pathologies that invariably accompany such economic conditions. Historically, most tribal communities were prosperous, composed of healthy, vibrant societies sustained over hundreds and in some instances perhaps even thousands of years. By creating sustainable economic development on reservations, however, gradual long-term change can be effected, thereby improving the standard of living and sustaining tribal cultures. Reservation “Capitalism” relates the true history, describes present-day circumstances, and sketches the potential future of Indian communities and economics. It provides key background information on indigenous economic systems and property-rights regimes in what is now the United States and explains how the vast majority of Native lands and natural resource assets were lost. Robert J. Miller focuses on strategies for establishing public and private economic activities on reservations and for creating economies in which reservation inhabitants can be employed, live, and have access to the necessities of life, circumstances ultimately promoting complete tribal self-sufficiency.

Reclaiming Indigenous Governance

Reclaiming Indigenous Governance
Author: William Nikolakis
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2019-10-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0816540543

Reclaiming Indigenous Governance examines the efforts of Indigenous peoples in four important countries to reclaim their right to self-govern. Showcasing Native nations, this timely book presents diverse perspectives of both practitioners and researchers involved in Indigenous governance in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (the CANZUS states). Indigenous governance is dynamic, an ongoing relationship between Indigenous peoples and settler-states. The relationship may be vigorously contested, but it is often fragile—one that ebbs and flows, where hard-won gains can be swiftly lost by the policy reversals of central governments. The legacy of colonial relationships continues to limit advances in self-government. Yet Indigenous peoples in the CANZUS countries are no strangers to setbacks, and their growing movement provides ample evidence of resilience, resourcefulness, and determination to take back control of their own destiny. Demonstrating the struggles and achievements of Indigenous peoples, the chapter authors draw on the wisdom of Indigenous leaders and others involved in rebuilding institutions for governance, strategic issues, and managing lands and resources. This volume brings together the experiences, reflections, and insights of practitioners confronting the challenges of governing, as well as researchers seeking to learn what Indigenous governing involves in these contexts. Three things emerge: the enormity of the Indigenous governance task, the creative agency of Indigenous peoples determined to pursue their own objectives, and the diverse paths they choose to reach their goal.

Property Rights and Indian Economies

Property Rights and Indian Economies
Author: Terry Lee Anderson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 284
Release: 1992
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780847677085

Most research on American Indian economies seeking to explain why Indians have remained near the bottom of the economic ladder has concentrated on resource endowments. This approach has focused policy attention on creating government programs to expand resource exploitation either by encouraging non-Indians to develop reservation resources or by directly enhancing reservation physical and human capital stocks. However, these policies have ignored institutions and the important role of local customs and privileges. This book explicitly considers this institutional context and focuses on the rules that determine who controls physical and human resources and who benefits from their use. Applying the analytical tools from economics, law, anthropology, and political science, the authors consider the three main ingredients necessary for successful economies: stable government, minimal bureaucracies, and the rule of law.