Each Indian tribe, in turn, establishes its own rules for determining 'Indianness' - there are many known cases where people without a drop of Indian blood became members and even chiefs of Indian tribes. Usually, official documents use the term 'Native American,' which refers not only to Indians but also to Eskimos and Aleuts (often called 'Alaska Natives'). This terminology appeared in the 1960s when it began to be used by the government's Bureau of Indian Affairs (operating within the Department of the Interior).
There are 550 Native American tribes in the United States officially recognized as such by the federal government. Among them are 223 separate settlements in Alaska. Federal recognition of tribal status is important. It indicates that a particular group of Native Americans has a special, legally defined relationship with the U.S. government, meaning that all contacts with these people are conducted exclusively at the government level.
However, not all Indian tribes are officially recognized by the federal government, although some have achieved such recognition from their state governments. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, between 1978 and 2004, 150 tribes submitted petitions for recognition of tribal status. To do so, they must prove that the tribe existed independently before first contact with 'non-Indian peoples' (meaning Europeans and their descendants), maintained a structure and tradition of transferring power, has a written constitution, that modern Indians have a genetic link to the people who belonged to that tribe before first contact with white people (requiring genealogical research), etc. In total, 21 tribes achieved official recognition during this period.
Contrary to popular belief, an American does not receive money or benefits from the U.S. federal government simply because they have Indian blood. Financial payments are made to those Indians and their descendants who can prove that their property was requisitioned by U.S. government agents. In other cases, federal subsidies and grants are received by Indian tribes, which distribute them among their members (sometimes the government sends checks to tribal authorities, sometimes directly to individual Indians). To receive financial assistance, a person must prove not only their genealogical affiliation with the tribe but also meet certain criteria set by the tribe for its members.
Government Reservation
The U.S. federal government administers two categories of land (the term 'reserved land' is used): military lands (where military bases, training ranges, secret research centers, etc. are located) and Indian reservation lands (officially referred to as the 'sovereign nation of such-and-such tribe').
The process of establishing reservations began in the early 19th century based on treaties between Washington and individual tribes. It became the foundation of U.S. federal Indian policy in the late 1960s - in subsequent decades, almost all tribes that had retained their community and identity received 'their' lands or territories specially allocated by Washington. Many researchers note that the federal authorities often neglected the treaties, for example, in the 1960s they confiscated part of the Iroquois lands to build a hydroelectric power plant.
Only federal laws and laws established by the tribes themselves apply in reservations. Indians living there are not subject to state laws. In most reservations, tribal courts and law enforcement agencies are active. In addition to the right to self-government, reservations (more precisely, the Indian peoples inhabiting them) receive rights to some other benefits. For example, they can expect to receive government grants and subsidies. In addition, at federal expense, Indians living in reservations are supplied with food, provided with government financial guarantees for home purchases, receive increased child benefits, and have access to free professional development courses. Indians pay the same taxes as other U.S. residents. There is only one exception: lands that Indians received from the U.S. government (i.e., reservation territory) and income derived from them are not taxed. Reservation residents also do not pay state taxes.
Today, there are 563 Indian reservations in the United States, where one in three American Indians lives. The majority of their population is located in three states: California, Arizona, and Oklahoma. Many reservations are home not only to Indians. In addition, reservations set their own land ownership rules: in 140 of them, all land is collective tribal property; in the rest, owners are private individuals. The largest by area is the Navajo Reservation (about 64,700 sq km), but there are reservations whose territories do not exceed 50 sq km. In total, Indians control 220,500 sq km of U.S. territory.