After a long period of policies aimed at assimilation and the erosion of tribal authority, the second half of the twentieth century brought a significant shift in federal Indian policy. Known as the era of self-determination, this period restored and strengthened the ability of Native nations to govern their own affairs. Its effects are visible across Indian Country today.
From termination to self-determination
In the mid-twentieth century, federal policy had swung toward termination, an approach that sought to end the special relationship between certain tribes and the federal government and to dissolve tribal status altogether. Termination proved harmful and was widely resisted. By the 1960s and 1970s, a new consensus emerged that Native nations should have greater control over their own governments, programs, and futures.
This shift was reflected in federal legislation of the 1970s that emphasized self-determination. These laws allowed tribes to take over the administration of programs and services previously run by federal agencies, putting decision-making back in the hands of Native nations.
Modern tribal governments
Today, Native nations operate their own governments, exercising the sovereignty that is inherent to them. Tribal governments take many forms, reflecting both traditional practices and contemporary structures. Many have written constitutions, elected councils, and executive leaders; many also maintain their own courts and law enforcement.
These governments carry out a wide range of responsibilities. They provide education, health care, housing, and social services; they manage natural resources and economic development; and they work to protect language, culture, and treaty rights. In all of this, they act as governments serving their citizens.
Building capacity and self-reliance
The self-determination era has enabled Native nations to build institutions and expertise suited to their own needs and priorities. Rather than having decisions made for them by distant agencies, nations can chart their own course, drawing on their values and knowledge. This has strengthened communities and renewed cultural life in many places.
Challenges remain, including the lasting effects of historical land loss, limited resources, and complex jurisdictional questions. But the direction of the self-determination era has been toward greater autonomy and self-reliance.
Sovereignty in action
Modern tribal governments are the living expression of tribal sovereignty. They demonstrate that Native nations are not relics of the past but active, self-governing communities shaping their own futures. This reality connects directly to the treaties of the nineteenth century, which recognized Native nations as governments in the first place. To read more, see our articles on what tribal sovereignty means and the nation-to-nation relationship, or browse the native sovereignty category.
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