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Do American Indians Govern Their Own Lands?—You Asked Series
3 MINUTE READ
April 14, 2016

Wounded Knee, North Dakota, part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, was the site of confrontations between American Indians and the U.S. government in 1890 and 1973. Today, under a policy of self-determination, Indians have considerable power to govern themselves and their lands. ©AP Images
On March 10, 1973, more than one week after seizing Wounded Knee, S.D., and starting a standoff with federal authorities, members of the Oglala Sioux tribe march to the cemetery where their ancestors were buried following the 1890 massacre at the site. Third in line is Carter Camp, one of the leaders of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Wounded Knee, North Dakota, part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, was the site of confrontations between American Indians and the U.S. government in 1890 and 1973. Today, under a policy of self-determination, Indians have considerable power to govern themselves and their lands. ©AP Images

Economic success has come to only about 10 percent of Indian people. Some tribes that received what appeared to be uninhabitable land have found that parts of their lands contain valuable resources such as oil and natural gas. Others, whose reservations are near urban areas, major highways or resorts, have been successful in the gaming industry.

(Pamphlet, 2 pgs.)

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