Indian Country

Fergus Bordewich has the Dawes Act being passed in 1881. Severally was proposed in 1879, but the Dawes General Severally Act was not passed until 1887. Another point: If white folks are suffering due to Indian sovereignty issues, such problems are certainly not universal. The Murray study (1995) in Wisconsin showed that the Oneida Nation generated in service fees and taxes well over $37 million and through operations such as gaming added over $284 million to the economy of the local Brown County. Across the country numerous non-Indians might well be unemployed were it not for tribal gaming facilities.

Robert E. Powless
Professor and Department Head
Dept. of American Indian Studies University of Minnesota at Duluth