Indian self-determination: A comparative analysis of executive and congressional approaches to contemporary federal Indian policy

Abstract

Scholars of American Indian policy refer to the period from 1960 to present as the Self-Determination Era. However, President Richard Nixon is commonly credited with making self-determination the fundamental tenet of contemporary Indian policy through his 1970 message to Congress. The concept of self-determination embodies three main goals: tribal self-government; cultural survival; and economic development. Furthermore, Indian participation in tribal activities as well as the federal policy-making process is a key principle of self-determination. Self-determination, however, is not a single policy, but rather, a conglomeration of policy approaches originating in different branches of the federal government. There has been little uniformity in the executive and legislative approaches to contemporary Indian policy. As this thesis illustrates, congressional approaches to self-determination policy since 1970 have been more consistent than those of the executive branch.