In the "tribal moment in American politics," which occurred from the
1950s to the mid- to late-1970s, American Indians waged civil
disobedience for tribal self-determination and fought from within the
U.S. legal and political systems. The U.S. government responded
characteristically, overall wielding its authority in incremental,
frequently double-edged ways that simultaneously opened and restricted
tribal options. The actions of Native Americans and public officials
brought about a new era of tribal-American relations in which tribal
sovereignty has become a central issue, underpinning self-determination,
and involving the tribes, states, and federal government in
intergovernmental cooperative activities as well as jurisdictional
skirmishes. American Indian tribes struggle still with the impacts of a
capitalist economy on their traditional ways of life. Most rely heavily
on federal support. Yet they have also called on tribal sovereignty to
protect themselves. Asking how and why the United States is willing to
accept tribal sovereignty, this book examines the development of the
"order" of Indian affairs. Beginning with the nation's founding, it
brings to light the hidden assumptions in that order. It examines the
underlying deep contradictions that have existed in the relationship
between the United States and the tribes as the order has evolved, up to
and into the "tribal moment."