Goldberg, Carole E. (1976). The Prospects for Navajo Taxation of Non-Indians. Lake Powell Research Project Bulletin Number 19, March 1976. In the past, courts have described American Indian sovereignty in ways that suggest the existence of power in the Navajo Tribe to tax the activities and property of non-Indians on their reservation. These judicial statements were made, however, at a time when tribal governments were viewed as transitional mechanisms for Indian assimilation, and contact between Indians and non-Indians on the reservation was minimal. Current efforts by non-Indians to develop energy resources on the Navajo Reservation will result in greater benefits for the Navajo people if the Navajos can exercise taxing power to the exclusion of the states. Since large-scale taxation assumes and permits the growth of a permanent, complex tribal government, legal doctrine and legislative schemes may alter as the Navajos assert themselves. Changes in the definition of tribal sovereignty and the extent of Federal and state limitations on taxing and other tribal powers should be anticipated if the Tribe begins taxing non-Indians. Navajo taxing power over non-Indians seems to have a firm basis in current judicial doctrine. There are few Federal restraints on such tribal power, but Federal restraints may be increased via the Indian Civil Rights Act, especially in terms of homogenizing tribal with state/local government wherein freedom from state taxation would require the Tribe to assume some state functions.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Court Litigation, Economic Development

DBS Corp., Arlington, VA. (1987). Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Survey, 1986. National Summaries. This document presents the results of a survey of the characteristics of students enrolled in public schools throughout the nation during the 1985-86 academic year. The survey instrument was comprised of an ED 101 form for school districts and an ED 102 form for individual schools. Surveyed were 3,455 districts, containing 37,313 schools and 23,544,704 students. Student data, broken down by sex and race (American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Black, total minority, and White) are provided in the following areas: (1) enrollment; (2) suspensions; (3) corporal punishment; (4) gifted/talented; (5) educable mentally retarded; (6) trainable mentally retarded; (7) speech impaired; (8) seriously emotionally disturbed; (9) specific learning disabled; (10) language assistance programs; (11) graduation rate; (12) special education; (13) school desegregation; (14) participation in various programs (disciplinary action, gifted/talented programs, special education programs) as a function of the minority component of the school; (15) classroom desegregation; (16) limited English proficiency, pupils' needs and services; (17) special education needs and services, by percent of enrollment identified as requiring special education; (18) amount of time spent in special education programs; (19) distribution of single sex classes; and (20) selected program participation, by sex. Data are presented on 12 tables. Appendices provide the survey instrument, and detail reported and projected enrollment data by state.   [More]  Descriptors: Academically Gifted, American Indians, Asian Americans, Black Students

Sedlacek, William E.; And Others (1972). Black and Other Minority Admissions to Large Universities: Three Year National Trends. The purpose of this study was to survey the large primarily white universities concerning freshmen entering in the fall of 1971 in order to note trends and changes in enrollment and admissions predictors. Sample population included black, American Indian, and Spanish Surname students. Returns were received from 99 percent of the admissions officers at institutions surveyed. Three year trends which have emerged indicate that black freshmen enrollment has leveled off to 4 percent in 1970 and 1971, after a rise from 3 percent in 1969. Despite the apparent intentions of many colleges and universities, fewer blacks are entering college. This study was intended: (1) to examine the amount of social change in our society as reflected by the number of blacks and other minority students entering primarily white universities as freshmen; and (2) to determine what universities are actually employing in selecting black and other minority students in order to shed light on the relationship between research and practice.   [More]  Descriptors: Admission Criteria, Admission (School), Black Influences, Black Power

Fay, George E., Comp. (1968). Charters, Constitutions and By-Laws of the Indian Tribes of North America, Part V: [The Indian Tribes of Oklahoma (Alabama-Quassarte to the Osage)]. As Part V of a series of publications of American Indian tribal governmental documents, this volume contains charters, resolutions, constitutions, and by-laws of some of the Indian tribes in Oklahoma. Twenty such documents are presented, representing the following Indian groups: Alabama-Quassarte, Caddo, Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah, Cheyenne-Arapaho, Comanche, Delaware, Iowa, Kaw, Kialegee, Kickapoo, Miami, and Osage. Ten tribes are listed as not having developed their constitutions at the time of this writing. Presented in the initial section of the publication is the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act, which authorized formation of self-governing bodies by the Indian tribes. As noted, the Act was also intended to promote the general welfare of Oklahoma's Indians and acknowledges the continued responsibility for guardianship and continuance of the policy of the government to establish justice for, and to promote general welfare of, Indians of the United States. Provided under the Welfare Act are sections of the statutes whereunder all Indians may be accorded all rights, opportunities, and privileges. A map shows locations of Oklahoma Indian tribes.   [More]  Descriptors: Administrative Policy, American Indians, Governmental Structure, Laws

Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, DC. (1971). The Unfinished Education; Outcomes for Minorities in the Five Southwestern States. Mexican American Educational Series. "The basic finding of this report is that minority students in the Southwest–Mexican Americans, blacks, American Indians–do not obtain the benefits of public education at a rate equal to that of their Anglo classmates. This is true regardless of the measure of school achievement used." The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has sought to evaluate school achievement by reference to 5 standard measures: school holding power, reading achievement, grade repetitions, overageness for grade assignment, and participation in extracurricular activities. Without exception, minority students achieve at a lower rate than Anglos: their school holding power is lower; their reading achievement is poorer; their repetition of grades is more frequent; their overageness is more prevalent; and they participate in extracurricular activities to a lesser degree. In addition to an analysis of these findings, the document contains 4 tables, 12 figures, and appendixes containing a superintendents' questionnaire, a principals' questionnaire, a discussion on methodology used to estimate holding power, 7 selected tables from other sources, findings of related studies on achievement, and 6 reading levels tables (by school ethnic composition and by state). A related document is ED 052 849.   [More]  Descriptors: Academic Achievement, American Indians, Attendance, Blacks

Rix, Sara E., Ed. (1990). American Woman 1990-91: A Status Report. Third Edition. This volume provides an overview of how U.S. women and their families are faring. The contents include statistical information and articles on women's issues and documents the progress for and by women. The topics covered include: (1) African American families in the United States; (2) women and affordable housing; (3) child care; (4) gender equality and employment policy; (5) women and contingent work; (6) women in medical school; (7) women in business; (8) women in art; (9) Hispanic women; (10) Asian and Pacific American women; (11) American Indian women; (12) U.S. women's movement today; (13) women and the peace movement; and (14) emergence and growth of women's studies programs. Tables, charts, statistical data, and an extensive bibliography also are included. Descriptors: Civil Rights, Family (Sociological Unit), Family Status, Feminism

Tyler, S. Lyman (1964). Indian Affairs No. 2. A Work Paper on Termination: With an Attempt to Show its Antecedents. It was the purpose of this 1958 paper to demonstrate to the Commission on the Rights, Liberties, and Responsibilities of the American Indian how Indian tribes were first dealt with as sovereign nations and how this concept has changed through time (particularly from 1948 to 1958). When the sovereign-nations or treaty period came to a close, the Indian people were moved under the domination of Congress and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and became wards of the U.S. Government. Next came a period when the Indians were compelled through the Allotment Act and educational influences to move toward complete acculturation and full citizenship, with those Indian people who remained on reservations being encouraged to adopt constitutions and to incorporate under charters as local communities that could bargain with business concerns, counties, states, and the Federal Government. The successes of the tribal groups led to termination of Federal responsibilities for those tribes because acculturation was assumed; however, the terminated tribes met with failure due to lack of resources. The result was fear by other Indian tribes that success meant termination. Thus, as long as the Termination Resolution remains on the books, it is felt that it will be difficult for Indian people to take full advantage of Federal programs. The paper contains 4 sections: The Historical Setting, The Recent Background to Termination Legislation, Canadian Enfranchisement Compared to Termination, and Identifying Kinds of Federal Withdrawal.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Attitudes, Community Control

Lopez, Andrew (1969). Minority Groups in New Mexico. The employment problem among minority groups (whites with a Spanish surname, American Indians, and Negroes) in New Mexico is the major consideration of this study. Minority groups are defined, and charts, maps, and graphs clarify the definition. The study brings together as much socioeconomic information as possible to aid the New Mexico State Employment Service in meeting the employment needs of minority groups. Two of the key findings isolated by the study were (1) that, despite having equal education, non-whites earned less than whites in New Mexico and (2) that there were factors other than education which seemed to prevent minority group members from obtaining jobs and salaries similar to majority group members with the same educational attainment. The document also includes reviews of basic State and Federal legislation related to equal employment opportunities of minority groups.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indians, Anglo Americans, Blacks, Civil Rights

Levitan, Sar A.; And Others (1975). Minorities in the United States: Problems, Progress, and Prospects. This book organizes and synthesizes basic factual information concerning the changing status of blacks, Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, and American Indians. It specifically provides the highlights of data on income, employment, and education of minorities and sketches the broad patterns as revealed through federally published statistics and other public and private resource documents. The book is divided into six chapters. Chapter one, an overview, emphasizes the need for a closer look at the difficulties of minority groups. Chapters two through five stress the particular problems of each group separately. Chapter six reviews the positive and negative aspects of the present situation and makes predictions for the future. Each chapter presents tables, charts, and graphs to accompany the text. Descriptors: American Indians, Black Education, Black Employment, Black Housing

Prucha, Francis Paul (1979). The Churches and the Indian Schools, 1888-1912. This book is about conflict between Protestants and Catholics over Indian mission schools in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, American Indian policy was dominated by Protestant humanitarian organizations that sought to Americanize the Indians in terms of the evangelical Protestant heritage from which the reformers came. The system of Catholic mission schools on Indian reservations was seen as a major obstacle to the development of a universal Indian school system maintained by the federal government. The Protestants, finding that the Protestant outlook that permeated government schools fulfilled their own goals, had largely abandoned their mission schools, while the Catholics looked upon government schools as institutions that would pervert the faith and morals of Indian children. The book begins in 1888, when it first became clear that Catholic Indian schools were the principal beneficiaries of federal funds for mission schools, and ends in 1912, with the last great Protestant-Catholic flare-up over Indian schools. Between those dates, Catholics fought for the right of Catholic Indian parents to send their children to Catholic schools, for the restoration of rations to Indian children in mission schools, for the use of Indian trust and treaty funds as mission school support, for Catholic religious instruction in government schools, and for the right of nuns to wear their religious habit when teaching. Principal actors in these struggles were the Bureau of Indian Catholic Missions, the Indian Rights Association (a Protestant organization), federal agencies and officials, and the federal courts. Appendices include a Sioux petition for a Catholic contract school, a mission school contract, and general regulations for religious worship and instruction in government Indian schools. Contains references, notes, a bibliography, photographs, and an index. Descriptors: American Indian Education, Catholic Schools, Catholics, Court Litigation

Wilkins, David (1992). Who's in Charge of U.S. Indian Policy? Congress and the Supreme Court at Loggerheads over American Indian Religious Freedom, WICAZO SA Review. At present, Congress is resuscitating the process of bilateral agreements that would restore some tribal autonomy to participating tribes. On the other hand, the Supreme Court has upheld federal-agency property rights or state interests over Indian rights to practice traditional religions and frequent sacred places. Contains 120 references. Descriptors: American Indian Culture, American Indians, Civil Liberties, Constitutional Law

Villari, Mary Ann (1975). The Historical Precedents and Recent Development of Maine Indians' Bid for Recognition. Presenting an historical review of policy re Maine's American Indians, this monograph documents the development of: Indian policy prior to 1965 (treaties and legislation); the initial years of Maine's Department of Indian Affairs (DIA); Indian recognition and the courts; and recognition of Maine's off-reservation Indians. Specifically, this paper asserts that: (1) denial of Federal recognition has prevented Maine Indians from participating in Federal Indian policy, seeking protection via Federal statutes, or utilizing Federal courts as a means to retribution; (2) Maine has not recognized Federal sovereignty and has, by conferring certain rights to Indians, effectively treated them as welfare recipients; (3) a large group of Maine's Indians have not been recognized by either State or Federal government; (4) on initiation of the DIA, the means for strengthening self-determination was established, but lack of proper funding has assured welfare oriented operations; (5) both Indians and State officials look to the Federal Government for the means to increase funds; (6) a recent judicial decision making the Non-Intercourse Act applicable to Maine Indians promises clarification of the Federal obligation; (7) if Indian supervision is transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Maine should retain its DIA to serve in a liaison capacity. Descriptors: Accountability, American Indians, Federal Government, History

Gale, Nancy (1990). Pass the Word. A Resource Booklet for the Native American Community Concerning New Concepts about Alcoholism. Attitudes toward alcohol abuse are changing in Indian country. A number of separate but complementary attitudes are creating a circle of support in the fight against alcohol abuse. These new attitudes hold that: (1) Native Americans are not condemned by their race to a destiny of alcohol-related problems, but, rather, have a choice; (2) abstinence is an acceptable option; (3) the non-drinker need not be isolated and lonely; (4) the community is responsible for addressing alcoholism and drug abuse and must act to offer alternative activities; and (5) success is possible. Among the new concepts about alcoholism that have emerged in the past decade are the ideas that alcoholism: (1) is a family and community disease; (2) affects multiple generations; (3) is the tip of an iceberg, riding atop a mass of other problems; and (4) often coexists with other specific problems such as depression and cultural shame. In the fight against alcohol abuse, American Indians have some special cultural attributes that can help them, including extended family networks, close-knit communities with strong identities, and holistic world views. Native Americans are headed in the right direction and must use their resources to maintain the movement against alcohol and drug abuse.   [More]  Descriptors: Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Education, Alcoholism, American Indian Education

Weaver, Kenneth L., Ed. (1990). Reflections on Tribal Governance in Montana. This document discusses tribal governance as part of the "Native American Week" on Montana State University's Bozeman campus. The document contains a commissioned paper, a panel discussion, a speech, and a list of legal documents of tribal governments in Montana. The commissioned paper, "Federal Indian Policy: A Summary," by Walter Fleming explains how changing national policy has shaped the evolution of Montana tribal governance. Tribal presidents from each of the seven Montana Indian Reservations form the Tribal Governance Panel. They present the ongoing struggle of American Indians to achieve and sustain genuine Native American self-determination through tribal self-governance. Topics discussed include historical and current problems in cultural difference, federal-imposed policies on reservation administration, tribally controlled industries and economic development efforts, reservation schools, conservation of natural resources and claims, and water rights. The speech, "Look at the Past, Present, and Future of the Indian People," delivered by Earl Old Person, stresses education as a means to achieving self-determination, Indian leadership, and government responsibility. Finally, a list of legal documents are presented, including: the governing charters of all of Montana's seven reservations, the charter of the Little Shell Tribe of the Montana Chippewas, and the text of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (which enabled these tribal charters).   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Education, American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Cultural Differences

Maine State Dept. of Indian Affairs, Augusta. (1976). A Compilation of Laws Pertaining to Indians. State of Maine, July 1976. Compiled from the Maine Revised Statutes of 1964, the Constitution of Maine, and the current Resolves and Private and Special Laws, this document constitutes an update to a previous publication (January 1974), correcting errors and adding amendments through 1976. This compilation of laws pertaining to American Indians includes statutes on the following: Constitution of Maine (guaranteed loans for Indian housing, qualifications of voters, and trust funds); Department of Indian Affairs; Education (reservation schools and school committees); Elections (apportionment of Indian voting districts; state, county, and Federal; tribal–Passamaquoddy and Penobscot; and voting rights); Fish and Game (Atlantic Salmon; free licenses; hunting and trapping; tribal ordinances re: hunting, fishing, and trapping); Forestry (duties of foresters and Indian township forest resources); Highway (reservation roads and bridges); Housing Authorities; Human Services (destitute–Passmaquoddy, Penobscot, and non-tribal members and foster homes); Indians (Indians and tribes generally, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot); Legislature, Indian Representatives (election of Passamaquoddy and Penobscot, general provisions, and special license plates); Liquor; Miscellaneous Provisions (dogs, off-reservation Office of Indian Development, ordinances, public dump, shade trees, and zoning); Motor Vehicles (excise taxes and trailers); Treaties and Act of Separation. Descriptors: Agencies, Alcoholic Beverages, American Indian Reservations, American Indians