4 Facts About Indigenous Peoples Reservations

The Navajo Nation Indian reservation
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The term "Indian reservation" refers to the ancestral territory still occupied by an Indigenous nation. While there are approximately 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S., there are only about 326 reservations.

This means that almost one-third of all currently federally recognized tribes have lost their land bases as a result of colonization and forced migrations. There were well over 1,000 tribes in existence prior to the formation of the U.S., but many faced extinction due to foreign diseases, war, American policies, or they were simply not politically recognized by the U.S.

Initial Formation

The United States is a settler nation. In other words, the land it currently occupies was previously held by Indigenous Tribes. Contrary to popular opinion, reservations are not lands given to Indigenous peoples by the United States government. Quite the opposite is true; land was given to the U.S. by the tribes through treaties. What are now reservations is the land retained by the tribes after most of their land was forcibly taken by European and American governments through wars, treaties, and deals that were not done in good faith. Indigenous reservations are created in one of three ways: by treaty, by executive order of the president, or by an act of Congress.

Land in Trust

Based on federal Indigenous law, Indigenous reservations are lands held in trust for tribes by the federal government. This problematically means that the tribes technically do not own title to their own lands. The relationship between tribes and the U.S. dictates that the U.S. has a fiduciary responsibility to administer and manage the lands and resources to the best advantage of the tribes.

It's also worth noting that tribes do not have the military force to hold the United States accountable for any violations of their sovereignty, territory, or human rights. Plus, these legal agreements are negotiated in American courts, not according to a tribe's customs.

Historically, the U.S. has failed miserably in its management responsibilities. Federal policies have led to massive land loss and gross negligence in resource extraction on reservation lands. For example, uranium mining in the Southwest has led to dramatically increased levels of cancer in the Navajo Nation and other Pueblo tribes. The mismanagement of trust lands has also resulted in the largest class action lawsuit in U.S. history, known as the Cobell case; it was settled by the Obama Administration after 15 years of litigation.

Socioeconomic Realities

Generations of lawmakers have recognized the failures of federal policies in these cases. These policies have consistently resulted in the highest levels of poverty and other negative social indicators compared to all other populations in the U.S., including substance abuse, mortality rates, education, and others. Modern policies and laws have sought to promote independence and economic development on the reservations.

One such law—the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988—recognizes the rights of Indigenous peoples to operate casinos on their lands. While gaming has produced an overall positive economic effect in Indigenous territories, very few have realized significant wealth as a result of casinos. Additionally, gaming and casinos are technically lucrative, but they also leave these Indigenous communities at the mercy of tourists.

Cultural Preservation

Among the outcomes of disastrous federal policies is the fact that most Indigenous peoples no longer live on reservations. It's true that reservation life is very difficult in some ways, but most tribal members that can trace their ancestry to a particular reservation tend to think of it as home. Indigenous peoples' cultures are often reflective of their relationship to the land and their continuity on it, even when they have endured displacement and relocation.

Reservations are centers of cultural preservation and revitalization. Even though the process of colonization has resulted in much loss of culture, much is still retained as Indigenous peoples have adapted to modern life. Reservations are places where traditional languages are still spoken, where traditional arts and crafts are still created, where ancient dances and ceremonies are still performed, and where origin stories are still told.

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Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. "4 Facts About Indigenous Peoples Reservations." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/facts-about-native-american-reservations-4082436. Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. (2021, December 6). 4 Facts About Indigenous Peoples Reservations. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-native-american-reservations-4082436 Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. "4 Facts About Indigenous Peoples Reservations." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-native-american-reservations-4082436 (accessed March 28, 2024).