Changes

== Today ==

== Today ==

Today, many Indian reservations are seeing a resurgence, such as in [[California]], through laws that give them special privileges in allowing [[gambling]] in the form of slot machines and other gaming.  Special tax breaks have helped as well as has the definition of a 'reservation'.  For instance in [[Wisconsin]], Indian reservation land can include buying real estate in [[Milwaukee]] - far from the physical location of the tribes themselves.  Although under ultimate United States government jurisdiction, the tribes are generally autonomous and monitor their own lands.  This has led to voting questions, such as in the [[South Dakota]] elections of 2002 where [[John Thune]] was ahead in the senate race after all votes were counted except for the reservations.  With Thune's margin known, incredibly, the results given by the reservation showed that almost all of the reservation inhabitants voted and voted overwhelmingly for his opponent who won by 500 votes.  Thune ran again in 2004 and again was ahead by a similar margin, but this time the Indian reservations didn't vote the same after monitors were installed to watch the proceedings.  Thune won.

Today, many Indian tribes are seeing a resurgence, such as in [[California]], through laws that give them special privileges in allowing [[gambling]] in the form of slot machines and other gaming, through outreach programs to reunite urban Indians with both their reservation families and other urban tribal members; programs set up both by the tribe themselves (often with assistance of state and local governments) to teach their languages and open schools that focus on a tribal way of life.  Most tribes have been granted some limited power in self governance as well, significantly in the area of the sentencing of tribal members in various criminal and civil issues.  Special tax breaks have helped Indian people and Indian reservations become more self-sufficient.  Some states have even revisited the definition of 'reservation' based on teh Dawes Act which originally provided for substantially more "reservation" land if the Indian people would buy it as individual land, and either market it or farm it (the intent was to help Indian Peoples integrate into the American social and economic systems).  SFor instance in [[Wisconsin]], Indian reservation land can include buying real estate in [[Milwaukee]] - far from the physical location of the tribes themselves.   

Recorded history of American Indians shows a lack of fear of great heights and a difficulty with controlling [[alcohol]] consumption.  The later is still a difficulty today, as 12% of Indian deaths are related to alcohol, several times the national average.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug28/0,4670,IndianDeathsAlcohol,00.html</ref>  

Self governance is a huge issue, with each of the over 300 recognized tribes having different rules and regulations placed on them by the Government.  As with every other political system in the world, Indian People disagree with each other about many issues from how to spend government money to how "traditional" to become, to what religion should be the focal point of the tribe. 

 

Such issues even impact the non-indian government system as well.  Consider the [[South Dakota]] elections of 2002 where [[John Thune]] was ahead in the senate race after all votes were counted except for the reservations.  With Thune's margin known, incredibly, the results given by the reservation showed that almost all of the reservation inhabitants voted and voted overwhelmingly for his opponent who won by 500 votes.  Thune ran again in 2004 and again was ahead by a similar margin, but this time the Indian reservations didn't vote the same after monitors were installed to watch the proceedings.  Thune won.

 

Other issues remain between recognized Sovereign Nations and the US government including mineral right issues, natural resource husbandry and mediation, conflicts with government run museums (as well as a few private museums) over who has the right to various artifacts, what rights modern Indian peoples should and should not have when dealing with artifacts that are clearly earlier than the oldest known existence of any particular tribe (for example, who has rights to archaeological finds at mesa verde, which is not navajo nor pueble, but are a now-extinct tribe, Anisazii).

 

When the American Indian Peoples were rounded up onto reservations, the sudden dependence on the government created situations that are often associated with welfare situations.  Both because of biology (Indian people like many Asian people do not break down alcohol the same way Europeans do) and the lack of being a "bread winner" that men throughout history find critical to identity as head of the family, alcohol and drug abuse are very common both among reservation and urban Indians today. <ref>12% of Indian deaths are related to alcohol, several times the national average. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug28/0,4670,IndianDeathsAlcohol,00.html</ref> A strong rise in child and spousal abuse occurred after the "welfare state" like existence for the men came into being.  Without the need to provide for the family, depression sets in, and is a common problem on the reservation.

 

 

 

== References ==

== References ==

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