"Ever since the European colonization of North America began, it is an irrefutable fact that native tribes have suffered from both usurpation and painful displacement. Some were left uprooted by war waged upon them, others left scattered by introduced diseases and strife, and still others had tribal identities frayed through forced assimilation programs, often carried out in distant cities.

And, of course, some tribal members, by their own choice, became part of the broader melting pot that is this country.

Can the jigsaw puzzle that was human indigenous America ever be reassembled?

During the latter half of the 20th century, Congress passed a series of laws aimed at formally recognizing tribal affiliations in an attempt to salvage rapidly fading cultures, preserve language and customs, and, perhaps most importantly, to provide economic and legal resources that would enable such fractured bands to persist. Invoking treaty rights that legally affirm their sovereignty as nations separate and apart from the federal government--yet still existing inside U.S. borders--tribes are wrestling with what they were and what they might still become."

Get the Story:
Todd Wilkinson: Is Native Sovereignty A Step Toward Secession? (New West 6/1)

Civil Rights Commission Report:
The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 (May 2006)

Civil Rights Commission Transcript:
January 20, 2006 Meeting

Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill:
Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 (S.147)

Rice v. Cayetano Resources:
Abstract, Audio and More

Rice v. Cayetano Election Rights Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion | Concurrence Dissent (Stevens) | Dissent (Ginsburg)

Senate Republican Policy Paper:
Why Congress Must Reject Race-Based Government for Native Hawaiians (June 2005)

Relevant Links:
US Commission on Civil Rights - http://www.usccr.gov
Native Hawaiian Sovereignty Site - http://www.hawaii-nation.org
Native Hawaiian Federal Recognition Site - http://www.nativehawaiians.com

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