-
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of 55,700,000 acres (225,000 km2) of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American Tribes and Alaska Natives. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is one of two bureaus under the jurisdiction of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs: the Bureau of Indian -
Indian Removal Act of 1830
The Indian Removal Act was passed on May 28th, 1830 by congress. The president during this time that signed the law was President Andrew Jackson. This act supported non-native people in the south. It allowed unsettled land in exchange for Indian land. This land was west of the Mississippi but had to be within existing state borders. A great amount of pressure was placed on Native Americans to relocate. Although some tribes went peacefully, many tribes still resisted the relocation policy. -
Major Crimes Act of 1885
The Major Crimes Act gives the United States jurisdiction to try and punish serious crimes. There are four fundamental elements that must exist in order for the Major Crimes Act to apply. Those are: (1) An Indian must commit (2) against the person or property of another Indian or other person (3) one of the enumerated offenses (4) within Indian Country. Initially, only seven of the fifteen enumerators existed. These 15 offenses consist of: murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, maiming, a felony und -
Boarding schools
The boarding schools for Indian children began in 1860. They started when the Bureau of Indian Affairs established the first Indian boarding school on the Yakima Indian Reservation in Washington. These schools were established by Henry Pancoast and Herbert Welsh. The goal that was set out for these schools was to use education as a tool to “assimilate” Indian tribes into the mainstream of the “American way of life.” The importance of material wealth, nuclear family and private property would be -
Indian Appropriations Act of 1871
The Indian Appropriations Act of 1871 ended the government's policy of making treaties with Native American tribes as treaty-making was reserved for dealings with sovereign nations. The United States did not recognize Native American tribes as sovereign nor did it recognize Native American leaders as heads of state. Instead, the U.S. government regarded all Native Americans simply as individuals and wards of the government. This act left Native Americans in limbo: they were not sovereigns when t -
The Dawes Act of 1887
The Dawes Act was established on February 8th, 1887. This act authorized the President to survey American Indian tribal land and divide it into allotments for individual Indians. The purpose of this act was to help lift the Native Americans out of poverty. Ultimately, this act was created to stimulate assimilation of Native Americans into mainstream American society. This would enable the European Americans to own the land and non-Native Americans to purchase and settle on this land. Each Indian -
A Festering Wound
In 1890 the Ghost Dance, which was a spiritual movement was spreading through South Dakota’s Pine Ridge reservation. The Ghost Dance was believed to restore Native Americans to prominence and also destroy the European settlers. On December 15, 1890, the Lakota Sioux chief Sitting Bull was killed while being arrested on suspicion of being a Ghost Dancer. Two weeks later, the U.S. Cavalry surrounded a band of Ghost Dancers near Wounded Knee Creek. A violent conflict followed which caused at least -
Indian Reorganizational Act of 1934
The Indian Reorganizational Act was established on June 18, 1934. The major goal was to reverse the traditional goal of assimilation of Indians into American society, and to strengthen, encourage and perpetuate the tribes and their historic traditions and culture. This Act ended land allotments and returned unsold lands to the Indians. It also authorized tribes to form corporations and launch businesses. It provided for elected tribal councils with significant powers. This represented a reversal -
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)
This Act was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon. This Act established at the time the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in Alaska, as well as to stimulate economic development throughout Alaska. The settlement established Alaska Native claims to the land by transferring titles to twelve Alaska Native regional corporations and over 200 local village corporations. A t -
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975
The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (Public Law 93-638) authorized the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and some other government agencies to enter into contracts with, and make grants directly to, federally recognized Indian tribes. The tribes would have authority for how they administered the funds, which gave them greater control over their welfare. -
Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978
The Indian Child Welfare Act is a federal law that seeks to keep American Indian children with American Indian families. Congress passed ICWA in 1978 in response to the alarmingly high number of Indian children being removed from their homes by both public and private agencies. The intent of Congress under ICWA was to "protect the best interests of Indian children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families.” ICWA sets federal requirements that apply to state child cu -
Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act
This bill amends provisions of the Indian Act that the Court of Appeal for British Columbia found to be unconstitutional in the case ofMcIvor v. Canada. The bringing into force of Bill will ensure that eligible grand-children of women who lost status as a result of marrying non-Indian men will become entitled to registration (Indian status). As a result of this legislation approximately 45,000 persons will become newly entitled to registration.
