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mnboyer's review against another edition
3.0
I am typically a fan of Deloria Jr.’s work, including his works co-authored by Lytle, but this text gets bogged down a bit. The information inside is worthwhile, but the writing at times gets just a little bit too heavy and left me losing focus (hence, 3 stars for writing quality, but it would easily receive a 4.5 for the information it contains).
The text is broken down into the following:
• American Indians in Historical Perspectives
• Federal Responsibility and Power over Indian Affairs
• Indian Country
• Evolution of Tribal Governments
• Indian Judicial System
• Role of Attorneys, Advocates, and Legal Interest Groups in the Indian System of Law
• Criminal System of Justice in Indian Country
• Civil System of Justice in Indian Country
• Public Policy and the Legal Rights of Indians
The first chapter offers a quick, concise reading on the different eras of Federal Policy that explain how the government, at the time, is dealing with American Indians. This of course includes a termination era, where the government refused to even acknowledge American Indians. I enjoy this chapter and recommend it to students that need a refresher on the eras, or just need an overview in general. It might be the best chapter in the entire novel though (in my opinion) and it is only meant to be an overview.
I also enjoyed the chapter on “Indian Country” because there is a brief discussion of how to define Indian Country, as well as some discussion of how jurisdiction issues arise—which leads into other chapters. While I do enjoy the other chapters that discuss the evolution of tribal governments—one should keep in mind that this is a generalized statement on what tribal governments look like. There are, of course, variances depending on which nation is being discussed (Navajo tribal government looks much different than the Cherokee system, for example). So, as a general chapter this is good (as are the chapters that follow) but keep in mind you should probably also delve into a specific nation if you want specific information about the tribal government of that nation.
The text is broken down into the following:
• American Indians in Historical Perspectives
• Federal Responsibility and Power over Indian Affairs
• Indian Country
• Evolution of Tribal Governments
• Indian Judicial System
• Role of Attorneys, Advocates, and Legal Interest Groups in the Indian System of Law
• Criminal System of Justice in Indian Country
• Civil System of Justice in Indian Country
• Public Policy and the Legal Rights of Indians
The first chapter offers a quick, concise reading on the different eras of Federal Policy that explain how the government, at the time, is dealing with American Indians. This of course includes a termination era, where the government refused to even acknowledge American Indians. I enjoy this chapter and recommend it to students that need a refresher on the eras, or just need an overview in general. It might be the best chapter in the entire novel though (in my opinion) and it is only meant to be an overview.
I also enjoyed the chapter on “Indian Country” because there is a brief discussion of how to define Indian Country, as well as some discussion of how jurisdiction issues arise—which leads into other chapters. While I do enjoy the other chapters that discuss the evolution of tribal governments—one should keep in mind that this is a generalized statement on what tribal governments look like. There are, of course, variances depending on which nation is being discussed (Navajo tribal government looks much different than the Cherokee system, for example). So, as a general chapter this is good (as are the chapters that follow) but keep in mind you should probably also delve into a specific nation if you want specific information about the tribal government of that nation.
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