Federal Indian Law

How do you start a Federal Indian Law research paper? Our expert writers suggest like this:

The United States has relationships with 564 Indian tribes that are considered to be quasi-sovereign entities under the protection of the federal government. The federal government is entitled under the Constitution to pass laws to regulate relationships with the various Indian tribes. Federal Indian law also includes the following:

• The terms of treaties with Indian peoples
• Case law that has developed over the past two hundred years
• The regulatory decisions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs that affect the implementation of federal statutes related to Indians.

In general, federal Indian law involves the distribution of benefits to various Indian groups, criminal matters in tribal lands, and the definition of who is an Indian under the law.

Federal Indian Law Statutes

Every individual who meets the statutory definition of Indian can obtain benefits under federal Indian law, although the definition varies significantly among different statutes. Some statutes require that individuals prove they have more than half Indian blood while other statues base the definition of Indian on whether the individual is a member of a federally recognized tribe. The Bureau of Indian Affairs administers federal Indian law, and particularly the statutory benefits granted to Indians such as federal financial assistance. Indians residing on reservations are subject only to federal Indian law and any laws made by the tribe, but are not subject to state or local jurisdiction.