American Indian law: an overview

In U.S. law, the term "Indians" refers generally to the indigenous peoples of the continent at the time of European colonization. "Alaska Natives" and "Native Hawaiians" refer to peoples indigenous to the areas occupied by those named states. The terms "tribe" or "band" designate a group of Indians of the same or similar heritage united in a community under one leadership or government, and inhabiting a particular territory. The term "tribe" is subject to some controversy, with Indian peoples increasingly preferring "nation" or "people." The terms used may vary from statute to statute and case to case as well.

An Indian People may exist in fact and be recognized by others or by a state, without being recognized by the federal government. To determine whether a group will be recognized, courts and legislatures examine such factors as the extent of Indian governmental control over individual lives and activities, the extent to which the group exercises political control over specific territory, and the continuity of the group's history.

Federal law recognizes a special kind of sovereign authority in Indian tribes to govern themselves, subject to an over-riding federal authority. Indian tribes are considered by federal law to be "domestic, dependent nations." This subordination to federal authority is said to be a "protection" from the power of states. There are numerous federal statutes dealing with Indian rights and governance, such as the Indian Reorganization Act (http://www.sioux.org/june_18_1934_indian_reorgan_act.html), and the Indian Civil Rights Act (http://www.tribal-institute.org/lists/icra1968.htm) (also known as the Indian Bill of Rights). 28 U.S.C. § 1360 deals with state civil jurisdiction in actions in which Native Americans are parties.

menu of sources

Federal Material

U.S. Constitution

• Article I (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articlei.html)
• Fourteenth Amendment (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxiv.html)
• CRS Annotated Constitution: Article I: Commerce With Indian Tribes (http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/search/display.html?terms=Indian&url=/anncon/html/art1frag61_user.html)
• See also: Seltzer, "Excluding Indians Not Taxed: Federal Census and Native Americans in the 19th Century" (pdf (http://www.uwm.edu/~margo/govstat/ind.pdf))

Federal Statutes

• U.S. Code:
  • 25 U.S.C.
  • 28 U.S.C. § 1362 - Federal Court Jurisdiction Over Civil Actions Brought by Indian Tribes
  • 18 U.S.C. § 1152 - Tribal Court Jurisdiction
  • 42 U.S.C., Chapter 22 - Indian Hospitals and Health Facilities

Federal Regulations

• Title 25 C.F.R. (http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/25cfr.htm) - Indians

Judicial Decisions

• U.S. Supreme Court:
  • Historic Indian Law Decisions (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/index.html?query=indian&scope=onlyHistoric)
  • Recent Indian Law Decisions (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/index.html?query=indian+or+(native+and+american)+or+tribe)
  • liibulletin oral argument previews (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/search/index.html?query=indian+or+(native+and+american)+or+tribe)
• Recent U.S. Court of Appeals Indian Law Decisions (http://www.law.cornell.edu/usca/search/index.html?query=indian+or+(native+and+american)+or+tribe)

State Material

State Judicial Decisions

• N.Y. Court of Appeals:
  • Recent Indian Law Decisions (http://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/search/index.html?query=(indians+or+(native+and+american))+not+liibulletin)
• Commentary from liibulletin-ny (http://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/search/index.html?query=liibulletin+and+(indians+or+(native+and+american)))
• Appellate Decisions from Other States (http://www.law.cornell.edu/states/)

International Material

Conventions and Treaties

• Human Rights Treaties (http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multi/humanRights.html)

Other References

Key Internet Sources

• Federal Agencies:
  • Indian Health Service (http://www.ihs.gov/)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html)
• The University of Oklahoma Law Center - American Indian Legal Resources (http://www.law.ou.edu/indian/ailegal.html)
• Fourth World Documentation Project (http://www.cwis.org/fwdp/fwdp.html)
• International Indian Treaty Council (http://www.treatycouncil.org/)
• National Tribal Justice Resource Center (http://www.tribalresourcecenter.org/)
• Native Americans (http://www.americanwest.com/pages/indians.htm)
• NativeWeb (http://www.nativeweb.org/resources/law_legal_issues/)
• Tribal Court Clearinghouse (http://www.tribal-institute.org/)
• Native Americans and the Environment (http://www.cnie.org/NAE/)

Useful Offnet (or Subscription - $) Sources

• Good Starting Point in Print: Canby's American Indian Law in a Nutshell (http://west.thomson.com/product/22079820/product.asp), West Group (2004).

other topics

Category: Group Rights