Bureau of Indian Affairs

Description

“Bureau of Indian Affairs” tells the fascinating and important story of an agency that currently oversees U.S. policies affecting over 584 recognized tribes| over 326 federally reserved lands| and over 5 million Native American residents.

Written by one of our foremost Native American scholars| this insider’s view of the BIA looks at the policies and the personalities that shaped its history| and by extension| nearly two centuries of government-tribal relations. Coverage includes the agency’s forerunners and founding| the years of relocation and outright war| the movement to encourage Indian urbanization and assimilation| and the civil rights era surge of Indian activism. A concluding chapter looks at the modern BIA and its role in everything from land allotments and Indian boarding schools to tribal self-government| mineral rights| and the rise of the Indian gaming industry.