The Other American Governments: Tribal Governments in Transition from Dependency to Sovereignty

This text demonstrates how in the last decades the interests of American Indians have become increasingly involved with the interests of Americans in a variety of ways. These features, plus others, make American Indian politics exciting as well as ambiguous. Consequently, our analysis must examine multiple levels of power. We cannot examine the interrelated power struggles between Native and non-Native U.S. citizens alone but also the power struggle between numerous governments, bureaucracies, and corporations. Let us start by attempting to create a clear interpretation of history, however difficult this may be.