NA REVISION: CONGRESS ACTS

indian relocation act

1956- moved NAs to cities and promised training/housing assistance. by 1960- 30% returned to reservations.

Indian vocational training act

1956- offered vocational training, only 54% stayed in a job for 3 months

Alaska Native Claims settlement act

1971- Natives of Alaska received a 40 billion acres of land and 1 bill compensation, helped by NARF

wheeler/howard act

1934- opportunity to buy back former reservation land, restored tribal courts, better education and funding for schools/hospitals

making of IRA

1882- to enforce assimliation

Board of Indian Commissions

1869- accused IRA of being dishonest and mistreating NAs

Indian Appropriations act

1871- tribes not seen as an independent nation, ended all treaty making, ‘wards of state’

American Indian Policy Review Commission

1975- help advise gov on future NA policy, 5/11 were NAs

Dawes Severalty act

1887- divide up reservation lands and allot to families. after 25 years, NAs had full ownership. switched property rights from female to male chiefs. if not able to pay taxes, forced to return to reservations. by 1900, of the 150 mill acres given- only 78 mill remained theirs.

Curtis act

1898- civilised tribes also part of Dawes Act- led to Muskogee convention 1905

Indian Citizenship act

1924- citizenship/voting rights given in theory to all natives (states prevented)

policy of termination

1953- no more reservations, not ‘wards of state’- but 1968- had highest rate of illiteracy, disease, unemployment in US

Indian removal act

1830- forced migration of 70000 Indians to Oklahoma to create space for white families

leavitt bill

1921/23- pueblo Indians could not perform traditional dances

Indian Child welfare act

1978- gave rights back to NA parents to do with schooling

Meriam report

1928- found that NAs were the most impoverished people in US, condemned dawes act

colliers bill

1933- unallocated land given to tribes, restored tribal courts, allowed to practice own religon.

Indian Claims Committee

1946- due to war effort- chance to gain back lands lost to treaties. 370 petitions submitted in first year, but only gave compensation

Native American religous act

1978- right to exercise tradition and possession of sacred objects and to give back native objects to them. some backlash from museums

Native American graves protection act

1990- required all federally funded institutions to give back NA remains

Native American Self-determination/education assistance act

1975- allowed tribes more control over affairs, gave self-determination, restored tribal govs definitely. education- gave parents some more powers over their child’s education by memberships to schools

Policy of Assimilation

since 1865- wanting to break down cultural lifestyles and bring them into Us-society

Broken treaties

e.g 1868 Fort Laramie treaty- broken after 1874 after discovery of Gold in black hills

Reservation Policy

e.g 1868 after FL treaty- creation of ‘Great Sioux reserve’. replaced tribal chiefs with indian agents, could not practice own cultures

opened first NA boarding school

1979- Carlisle indian industrial school