Auditing Tribal Sovereignty

Abstract

In 1977 preeminent Native theorist Vine Deloria, Jr., was asked to write a paper about the current state of Indian affairs in the U.S. Deloria, already famous for his ground-breaking Custer Died for Your Sins, commenced to craft an essay which tackled the most difficult questions that bedeviled Indian Country—issues like federal recognition, membership, Native claims against the US, rejuvenating a land base, etc. His analysis was astonishing for its foresight and simplicity. It is also disheartening to realize that while piecemeal progress has been made on some of these issues they remain as muddled and as complex nearly four decades later. While this column lacks the space to elaborate on the significant benefits that might still accrue if progress could be made on all these subjects, I encourage readers to get a copy of this report and read the no-nonsense rationales behind why Deloria believed these topics warranted attention.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2014

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2014 Indian Country Communications. This article first appeared in Indian Country Today Media Network (August 2014), Online.

Please note that downloads of the article are for private/personal use only.

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