How many reservations are there today

Among the most well-known are Brigadier General Ely S. Grant who recorded the terms of Confederate General Robert E. Their patriotism moved Congress to pass the Indian Citizenship Act of Alaska Natives also served in the Alaska Territorial Guard.

In the Vietnam War, 41, Indian service personnel served. In , prior to Operation Desert Storm, some 24, Indian men and women were in the military. Approximately 3, served in the Persian Gulf with three among those killed in action. There have been 13 assistant secretaries since the post was established in by a DOI secretarial order. The United States Senate confirmed Ms. Sweeney on June 28, She assumed her official duties on July 30, Her final day of service was January 20, Reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary through are the following officers, agencies and offices:.

The bureau implements federal laws and policies and administers programs established for American Indians and Alaska Natives under the trust responsibility and the government-to-government relationship. At the end of the eighteenth century, Congress transferred the responsibility for managing trade relations with the tribes to the Secretary of War by its act of August 20, 1 Stat. It was later abolished by an act of May 6, 3 Stat. Secretary of War John C.

Calhoun administratively established the BIA within the his department on March 11, Congress later legislatively established the bureau and the Commissioner of Indian Affairs post via the act of July 9, 4 Stat. In the years that followed, the Bureau was known variously as the Indian office, the Indian bureau, the Indian department, and the Indian service.

Parker, Seneca ; Robert L. Bennett, Oneida ; Louis R. Hallett, Red Lake Chippewa For almost years—beginning with treaty agreements negotiated by the United States and tribes in the late 18th and 19th centuries, through the General Allotment Act of , which opened tribal lands west of the Mississippi to non-Indian settlers, the Indian Citizenship Act of when American Indians and Alaska Natives were granted U.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is a rarity among federal agencies. With roots reaching back to the earliest days of the republic, the BIA is almost as old as the United States itself. For most of its existence, the BIA has mirrored the public's ambivalence towards the nation's indigenous people.

But, as federal policy has evolved from seeking the subjugation of American Indians and Alaska Natives into one that respects tribal self-determination, so, too, has the BIA's mission evolved into one that is based on service to and partnership with the tribes. The BIA Mission Statement, which is based on principles embodied in federal treaties, laws and policies, and in judicial decisions, clearly describes the bureau's relationship today with the American Indian and Alaska Native people:.

We will accomplish this through the delivery of quality services, maintaining government-to-government relationships within the spirit of self-determination. Today, in keeping with their authorities and responsibilities under the Snyder Act of and other federal laws, regulations, and treaties, BIA employees across the country work with tribal governments in the administration of employment and job training assistance; law enforcement and justice; agricultural and economic development; tribal governance; and natural resources management programs to enhance the quality of life in tribal communities.

The following are just some examples of what we do:. That year, the function was legislatively transferred as the Indian Health Service to the U. It is responsible for the line direction and management of all BIE education functions, including the formation of policies and procedures, the supervision of all program activities, and the approval of the expenditure of funds appropriated for BIE education functions.

The BIE mission, which can be found in 25 C. Part The BIE also shall manifest consideration of the whole person by taking into account the spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects of the person within his or her family and tribal or village context.

The BIE school system has elementary and secondary schools and dormitories located on 63 reservations in 23 states, including seven off-reservation boarding schools and schools directly controlled by tribes and tribal school boards under contracts or grants with the BIE.

The bureau also funds 66 residential programs for students at 52 boarding schools and at 14 dormitories housing those attending nearby tribal or public schools. The school system employs approximately 5, teachers, administrators, and support personnel, while an estimated 6, work in tribal school systems. In School Year , the schools served almost 48, students. In the area of postsecondary education, the BIE provides support to 24 tribal colleges and universities across the U.

It also operates higher education scholarship programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives. There have been three major legislative actions that restructured the Bureau of Indian Affairs with regard to education since the Snyder Act of The Indian Reorganization Act of introduced the teaching of Indian history and culture in BIA schools, which contrasted with the federal policy at the time of acculturating and assimilating Indian people through the BIA boarding school system.

The Education Amendments Act of P. For information about tracing American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry to any of the federally recognized tribes, proceed to "Trace Indian Ancestry". For information about the U. Indian Health Service, visit www. Frequently Asked Questions. What is the legal status of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes?

What is the federal Indian trust responsibility? What is a federally recognized tribe? How is federal recognition status conferred? Part 83, or By decision of a United States court. What does tribal sovereignty mean to American Indians and Alaska Natives? What is a federal Indian reservation? Are there any federal Indian reservations in Alaska?

Are there other types of "Indian lands"? Other types of Indian lands are: Allotted lands, which are remnants of reservations broken up during the federal allotment period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although the practice of allotting lands had begun in the eighteenth century, it was put to greater use after the Civil War. By , over 11, patents had been issued to individual Indians under various treaties and laws.

Starting with the General Allotment Act in also known as the Dawes Act until the Indian Reorganization Act of , allotments were conveyed to members of affected tribes and held in trust by the federal government. As allotments were taken out of trust, they became subject to state and local taxation, which resulted in thousands of acres passing out of Indian hands.

Today, 10,, Restricted status, also known as restricted fee, where title to the land is held by an individual Indian person or a tribe and which can only be alienated or encumbered by the owner with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior because of limitations contained in the conveyance instrument pursuant to federal law. State Indian reservations, which are lands held in trust by a state for an Indian tribe. With state trust lands title is held by the state on behalf of the tribe and the lands are not subject to state property tax.

They are subject to state law, however. State trust lands stem from treaties or other agreements between a tribal group and the state government or the colonial government s that preceded it.

Does the United States still make treaties with Indian tribes? What is the relationship between the tribes and the United States? What is the relationship between the tribes and the individual states? What is Public Law and where does it apply? What are inherent powers of tribal self-government? How do tribal members govern themselves? How are tribal governments organized? What is the jurisdiction of tribal courts?

What is meant by tribal self-determination and self-governance? Who is an American Indian or Alaska Native? Employment Typically, Tribal and Federal governments are the largest employers on the reservations.

Many households are overcrowded and earn only social security, disability or veteran's income. The scarcity of jobs and lack of economic opportunity mean that, depending on the reservation, four to eight out of ten adults on reservations are unemployed. The overall percentage of American Indians living below the federal poverty line is Often, heads of household are forced to leave the reservation to seek work, and grandparents take on the role of raising their grandchildren.

In order to survive, extended families pool their meager resources as a way to meet basic needs. The relative poverty still experienced by these blended families is best understood as the gap between the overall need and the need that goes unmet.

Housing There is a housing crisis in Indian country. Despite the Indian Housing Authority's IHAs recent efforts, the need for adequate housing on reservations remains acute. In addition, many American Indians are living in substandard housing. The list also includes Indian tribes or groups that are recognized by the states, when the state has established such authority.

This acknowledges their status within the state but does not guarantee funding from the state or the federal government.

State-recognized Indian tribes are not federally recognized; however, federally recognized tribes may also be state-recognized. Tribal constitutions determine the criteria for an individual's tribal enrollment, for more information regarding the process of tribal membership and enrollment, please visit the federal Department of Interior website.