Troy Johnson - Contemporary Native American Political Issues

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Contemporary Native American Political Issues

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CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES

Stepping Stones to the Seventh Generation

Native American communities and people have survived through the twentieth century and are poised to embark on the twentyfirst century The survival and continuity of Native American cultures and communities has been a varied and complex path. Hundreds of communities continue to preserve many features of their religion, government, kinship organization, values, art, ceremony, and belief systems, and to maintain political relations with the United States. The series is intended to fill an existing void in the literature on Native American contemporary world experiences. While providing a historical background, the series will focus on an interpretation of contemporary life and cultures, interpreted in their broadest contexts. The series will draw from the disciplines of Native American Studies, History, Sociology, Political Science, Religion, and Social Work, and solicit treatments of treaty interpretation, sovereign rights, incorporation into global and national economic, political, and cultural relations, land rights, subsistence rights, health and medicine, cultural preservation, contemporary spirituality multiple genders, policy, and other issues that confront tribal communities and affect their possibilities for survival. New and culturally creative possibilities have emerged in film, theater, literature, dance, art, and other fields as a result and reflection of the challenges that have confronted Native American communities over the past centuries and will again in the coming century.

We believe it is essential to examine contemporary Native American life from the point of view of Native concerns and values. Manuscripts that examine any significant aspect of Native American contemporary life and future trends are welcome.

SERIES EDITORS

Troy R. Johnson

American Indian Studies and History

California State University Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 90840

trj@csulb.edu

Duane Champagne

American Indian Studies Center

3220 Campbell Hall

Box 951548

UCLA

Los Angeles, CA 900951548

champagn@ucla.edu

EDITORIAL BOARD

JoseBarreiro (Taino Nation Antilles), Cornell University Russel Barsh, University of Lethbridge Brian Dippie, University of Victoria Lee Francis (Pueblo), University of New Mexico Carole Goldberg, UCLA Lorie Graham, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Jennie Joe (Navajo), University of Arizona

Steven Leuthold, Syracuse University Nancy Marie Mithlo (Chiricahua Apache), Institute of American Indian Arts J. Anthony Paredes, Florida State University DennisPeck, University of Alabama LuanaRoss (Confederated Salish and Kootenai), University of California, Davis.

Series Editors' Royalties Will Be Donated To The UCLA Foundation/Yellowthunder Scholarship Foundation BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Volume 1, Inuit, Whaling and Sustainability, Milton M. R. Freeman, Lyudmila Bogoslovskaya, Richard A. Caulfield, Ingmar Egede, Igor I. Krupnik, and Marc G.

Stevenson

Volume 2, Contemporary Native American Political Issues, Troy R. Johnson, editor Volume 3, Contemporary Native American Cultural Issues, Duane Champagne, editor

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Contemporary Native American Political Issues

Edited by

Troy R. Johnson

A Division of Sage Publications, Inc.

Walnut Creek London New Delhi

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Copyright 1999 by AltaMira Press, A Division of Sage Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

For information address:

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Contemporary Native American political issues / edited by Troy Johnson

p. cm.(Contemporary Native American communities v. 2)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0761990607 (cloth)

ISBN 0761990615 (pbk.)

1. Indians of North AmericaPolitics and government. 2. Indians of North AmericaCivil rights.

3. Indians of North AmericaLegal status, laws, etc. 4. Selfdetermination, NationalUnited States 1. Johnson, Troy R. II. Series

E98.P76 C66 1999

323.1'197dc21 9840188

CIP

990001020304 5432 1

Production and Editorial Services: Zenda, Inc.

Editorial Management: Jennifer R. Collier

Cover Design: Joanna Ebenstein

Cover Art: Laura L. Courtney, Makah Tribe

About the cover: "The name of the piece is House of Learning, and it represents the entrance into the longhouse where, in my culture, many traditional teachings and rites of passage take place. Two whales over the top of the door wood distinctly represent our great whaling culture and all the teachings, songs, and spiritual strength that are affiliated with whaling. The Wolf and the Raven represent the dichotomy of our culture. The Wolf Ritual or Wolf Society of the Northwest (the Klukwali) represents the power and holiness of transformation since one of the underlying beliefs is that the Killer Whales and Wolves are the same animal. The Wolf exudes wisdom, strength, and spiritual power. The Raven is our trickster and is very cunning and intelligent. The two halves are united through our culture of whaling, which oversees everything entering the House of Learning."Laura L. Courtney

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Troy R. Johnson

Part I: Nationalism And Sovereignty

1. The Tragedy and The Travesty: The Subversion of Indigenous Sovereignty in

North America

Ward Churchill

2. The Past As Legacy and Project: Postcolonial Criticism in the Perspective of

Indigenous Historicism

Arif Dirlik

Part II: International Indigenous Rights

3. Recent United Nations Initiatives Concerning the Rights of Indigenous

Peoples

Stephen V. Quesenberry

4. Claiming Memory in British Columbia: Aboriginal Rights and the State

Fae L. Korsmo

Part III: Economic Development

5. Traditional American Indian Economic Policy

Ronald L. Trosper

6. Indian Gaming: Financial and Regulatory Issues

Gary C. Anders

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Part IV: Law and Justice

7. The Contextual Nature of American Indian Criminality

Donald E. Green

8. Public Law 280 and the Problem of 'Lawlessness' in California Indian

Country

Carole Goldberg

Part V: Repatriation

9. Nebraska's Landmark Repatriation Law: A Study of CrossCultural Conflict