The federal government today recognizes 562 Indian tribes as sovereign nations within the United States. Tribal members are citizens of the United States and subject to federal laws, but as sovereign nations, tribes have retained some rights to govern their own people.  The limits of these rights are constantly being re-evaluated by federal courts.

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe describes changing federal policies toward self-governance in the past 20 years.

Coming in April:
Links to scenes about sovereignty from the series

• "The Supreme Court’s Changing Stance on Tribal Sovereignty" -Philip J. Prygoski
• National Congress of American Indians: Tribal Governance
• History of the Tribal Self-Governance Initiative
• Myths and Realities of Tribal Sovereignty: The Law and Economics of Indian Self-Rule [pdf]
• Tribal Court Clearinghouse: Native American Nations
• U.S. Treaties with Native Nations
• Native American Rights Fund

Cherokee Nation
Denver Public Library/Western History Collection
Library of Congress
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
The National Archives
John Rae, NYC/Honoring Nations