The Native American Indian in Todays Society

When you think about the American Indian today you should think of the first peoples of this
country. I have never and will never understand how you can come to a place, where people live and
have  been living for many hundreds of years and say "I discovered America". But I digress. So after the land was "rediscovered" and some bloody battles were over, the former but "non-existent" owners were banished and driven out to live in the most desolate areas.  The current state of existence for a vast number of  Native American Indians has been relegated to small reservations in several states. Some larger groups were pushed into a few Western States, into a life of pauperism. Though some have managed to carve out a relatively decent lifestyle through coming off the plantations, most have held on to their original culture and practices. With help from the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs), some tribes have been able to negotiate treaties with the U.S. government.

(2000 American Indians' Cultural Network)
 In the contemporary relationship between the federal government and federally chartered tribes, as it has reached the present through a number of historical stages, the United States Congress with its powers to ratify treaties and regulate commerce is the trustee of the special Indian status. The trusteeship involves protection of Indian property; protection of Indian right to self-government; and the provision of services necessary for survival and advancement. In the commission of its trusteeship, Congress has placed the major responsibility for Indian matters in the Department of Interior and its subdivision the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In addition to the central office in Washington D.C., the BIA maintains regional offices in 12 states, mostly in the West, with agencies on particular reservations as well. Many Native Americans have positions in the BIA, but relatively few are at the highest positions.

Nowadays, there exist about 300 federal reservations in the United States, with a total of 52,017,551 acres held in trust by the federal government, the large majority west of the Mississippi. There are also 21 state reservations, most of these in the East. Some reservations are restricted to one tribe, others are jointly held. Some reservation land is owned, rented and occupied by non-Indians. The largest reservation is held by the Navajo tribe. Although the reservations are sovereign nations, the People are also considered U.S. citizens.