Nation to Nation

October 1, 2014
This seminal volume, being published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, also commemorates the museum's tenth anniversary. Those who contributed essays include Native and non-Native historians, legal scholars, and tribal activists, their sources culled from Native American material culture, tribal oral traditions, interviews, and historical documents. In assessing what went wrong with the 368 treaty relationships of mutual respect forged between 1777 and 1868, the authors cite numerous overreaches of power by the U.S. government, including the Doctrine of Discovery of 1823, whereby Indians lost the title to their lands, only retaining the right to occupy them; the civilization regulations which, beginning in 1883, criminalized everything traditional in Indian life; and the Plenary Power Doctrine of 1903, which stated that Congress could abrogate treaties without tribal consent. As the twentieth century unfolded, Indian nations dusted off their treaties and demanded that their original bilateral intent be fulfilledleading to the restoration of water rights, fishing rights, and tribal civil jurisdiction. This landmark volume highlights this crucial and evolving process.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)