Indian reservations given tax dollars?

Question

I know that the Navajo Nation has it's own government and economy and allocated area by the federal government, but are they still funded (even in part) by our tax dollars? Please list your source.

Answer 1

Most indian reservations in the United States, including the Navajo reservation in the southwest, do receive funding from the Federal Government through a variety of sources.

The most direct form is through the projects and institutions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) which is a part of the Department of the Interior (NOT the Dept of Justice). The BIA is responsible for administering reservation lands (the tribes do not have direct control over their own lands), negoiating mineral and other resource usage on tribal lands (such as mining leases), providing assistance for farming and other economic activities and building roads and infrastructure. They also play a role in law enforcement, education and health services (though less today than in the past). Over the past few years, the yearly budget for the BIA (covering all US tribes) has typically been at or slightly above $2.2 billion dollars (see links below). As one of the largest tribes in the United State (both in population and area), the Navajo reservation receives a large portion of it (probably over 20%).

Note that BIA money is not just handed out to tribal members - it goes to local departments (police, highway, educational) to fund various projects. In this regard, it is somewhat similar to local state and city governments who provide their citizens with paved roads, police, public schools, etc. But instead of being paid for by local taxes, it is paid for with federal taxes. It is true that the government also built housing during the 'Great Society' years of the 1960s and 70s, but that is pretty rare now.

The reason that the federal government owns responsibilities for the development and infrastructure on reservation land is because technically all reservation land is owned and controlled by the federal government and NOT the local tribes. This goes back to when the reservations were formed in the 19th century. Most tribal treaties did not specify that the government had to make regular payments, but in return for settling down and staying on the reservations, the government did promise to look after their well being and provide food, education and health services - the foundations of the BIA.

Much has changed since then and tribes have generally received more local control over the last few decades (often accompanied with reduced federal funding - when adjusted for inflation), however all reservations are still considered part of the federal government and local tribal governments are not really separate nations in a legal sense. Reservations can not sell or lease their land without BIA approval, they can not declare war, and they can not violate the Constitution or other federal laws. In many ways, their rights are similar to those of local state governments.

Note also that the economic activities, legal and social situations, and relationship to the federal government vary greatly from one tribe to another. Contrary to the poster above, the Navajo nation has NO casinos and since they are not located next to any major cities, they don't make much money off tobacco sales. Anybody who has driven around the Navajo reservation (or most indian reservations for that matter) can see that they are not exactly living high-on-the-hog at tax payer's expense.

One must remember that there are usually not a lot of job oppurtunities on the reservations and the vast majority of the federal money goes to roads, schools, police and other other tax-funded things that most of us enjoy in our own towns without thinking of them as being hand-outs.

Answer 2

Yes they do receive money from the U.S. Government. There is a Department called Bureau of Indian Affairs. Which if I recall falls under the Department of Justice somwhere.(where it falls in line in the government might be wrong,sorry)

The reason I know this, is the fact I did the litigation work on the federal court case involving the tribes of america vs. United States. I can't give any details to what I have seen due to the cases high confidentiality. I really don't feel like spending 5 years in federal prison due to a stupid remark involving something I signed to secracy. I hope this helps in some way.

Answer 3

The Native tribes of American have treaties with the U.S. government... Some of those terms include money.

Small payment for what we, the taxpayers, have done to them.....and, of course, our founders....

Answer 4

The HELL we receive money from the government!

First - this is a common myth, usually spread by small communities surrounding Indian reservations. It's a lie passed on by uneducated people in "secrecy". It's one of the number one arguments usually printed in Letters to the Editor.

Indian reservations survive on their own various enterprises - casinos can be one. So can resorts, hydroelectric dams, sawmills, etc. These funds are held in trust by the government - which occasionally admits to mismanagement, such as in the recent Cobell lawsuit.

Because funds are held in trust by the government, checks are printed FROM THE TRIBAL ACCOUNT by the US Department of Treasury. When an Indian takes HIS check to the bank to cash it, many assume that the money is free, from the government, because it's printed on a government check.

It was written that Native Americans would receive money for giving up millions of acres of their land in exchange for peace and sovereignty...however, as such is the case in my own reservation, treaties were never honored. The money mentioned in the treaty has, to this day, never reached the reservation. This treaty was negotiated by the government in the mid-1850s. That's a long time to wait.

Other promises in the treaties included medical care, education, a flour mill, farming knowledge, the right to hunt and fish on the land given up, and the right to live without interference on the reservation. Many of those promises were broken as well.

Our reservation is a sovereign nation - we have the ability to fully govern ourselves. Many times, our leaders will follow state law. This includes having a compact with the state regulating our own gambling. The "millions" that we make by the state are often shared with non-Indians in the form of donations to education, funding ambulances, police, health and so on. In essence...because we have a casino, we are bound by the compact to give money TO non-Indians.

The answer, then, to your question is the reverse. After surrendering millions of acres to the government, Indians were given small plots of land where they were promised their traditional ways of life. Instead, they were given the most barren sections of their states, usually far from their original territory. The people were gathered, and forced to walk to their new reservations. Where they found very little that was promised in the treaties.

But hey! Enjoy that casino money, people! :)

Answer 5

They don't need it. They make millions in tobacco and gambling.