It is not possible to talk about Indians in the United States today without reference to reservations. Most Americans are aware that as the European population expanded across the continent Indians were confined to "reserved" areas which were set aside for exclusive Indian use for "as long as the grasses grow and the rivers flow" or until Congress changes its mind.
Today, Indian reservations exist in the United States as reminders of both the Indian heritage of the country and its imperial ambitions. Many Americans do not understand either the history of the reservations nor their meanings for American Indians. In this short diary, I’m going to try to explain some of the basic background of reservations in the United States.
During the nineteenth century, U.S. government policies regarding Indians centered on the reservations. Initially, the goal was to put Indians on reservations—often with no concern for tribal differences—where they could be out of the way of the relentless advantage of American culture and manifest destiny. At this time, the reservations were often a kind of concentration camp for Indians: they were not permitted to leave the reservation without the permission of the Indian agent in charge of the reservation. If they did leave the reservation without permission, they were considered "enemy combatants" and were presumed to have no rights under American law (in spite of the fact that the courts had ruled against this.)
By midpoint in the century many non-Indians felt that too much land was tied up in the reservations and they began to advocate a change in policy which would make it easier for them to obtain "free" Indian land. Indian policy now began to view Indian reservations as temporary holding facilities in which Indians would be forcibly assimilated into American mainstream culture.
In the twentieth century, Indian policy again changed and reservations were now seen as nations. Each reservation was to have a "tribal" government even though the reservation might actually be home to several different, and often very distinct, tribes.
Today, not all Indians live on reservations: less than half of the Indians who are enrolled members of federally recognized Indian tribes live on their reservations. Like other Americans, many Indians live in cities. However, for many of the city Indians, the reservation continues to be revered as a homeland and there is a deep attachment to it.
Not all Indian tribes have reservations as not all Indian nations within the United States are recognized as Indian nations by the federal government. The members of these nations may not legally be considered Indians. This means that members of these nations cannot legally participate in many American Indian ceremonies, such as those of the Native American Church.
In some instances, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and historians have found it convenient to declare some Indian nations to be extinct, ignoring the fact that they often have continued to exist and to adapt themselves to the modern world.
The "Trail of Tears" is about the forced removal of the Southeastern Indian Nations (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole) from their homelands to Oklahoma. While this is a story which is often told by history books and the popular media, it is important to realize that not all tribes were removed to reservations. Many reservations include the traditional lands of the tribes which occupy them.
Many reservations contain "confederated" tribes. The United States government placed different tribes with different cultures and different languages on the same reservation. As a result of this, some smaller tribes have lost their individual identity and have become a part of a new "confederated" tribe.
While there are many reservations which were established by treaties between the tribes and the United States, there are also many reservations which were established by executive order of the President and by Congressional action. The courts have ruled that legally there is no difference between those reservations created by treaty and those created in other ways.
Originally, reservations were areas in which non-Indians were to have only limited access. While this is no longer true (and has never really been true), reservations today are areas which are under the jurisdiction of Indian tribes as a part of their sovereignty. This is a concept which many non-Indians, particularly local non-Indian politicians, have difficulty understanding or accepting.