Tribal Government Today : Politics on Montana Indian Reservations

An account of Fourth World peoples within a First World nation, "Tribal Government Today" is a critical analysis of the contemporary progress of Indian tribes toward self-government and economic sufficiency. Focusing on seven reservations in Montana representing the diverse opportunities and problems facing Indian tribes in the West, this book approaches tribal government from the twin perspectives of reservation politics and the legal context within which reservation conflicts must be solved. Unlike previous studies of Indian politics, "Tribal Government Today" is neither a critique of American Indian policy over the years nor an analysis of federal, state, and tribal jurisdictional ambiguities. The authors - a political scientist, a lawyer, and a historian - focus instead on the distinctive political culture that has evolved on each reservation in terms of the reservation settings, governmental structures and procedures, and a particular brand of politics. An account of Fourth World peoples within a First World nation, Tribal Government Today, Revised Edition , is a critical analysis of the contemporary progress of Indian tribes toward self-government and economic sufficiency. Focusing on seven reservations in Montana representing the diverse opportunities and problems facing Indian tribes in the West, this book approaches tribal government from the twin perspectives of reservation politics and the legal context within which reservation conflicts must be solved. (Partial summary, p. 161-185) Describes the political evolution of the Flathead Indian reservation tribal government