"I often think about the big-picture ideas that would help tribal governments address the small-picture details more efficiently. The one solution that I continue to come back to is this: We need a new round of agreements with the federal government—a new take on the treaties of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Let me tell you why.

On September 17, 1987, a group of tribal leaders met in Philadelphia. They chose the date and the city for a purpose. It was the very date and city that the drafters of the U.S. Constitution finished their writing, 200 years earlier.

The tribal leaders joined together because they envisioned a new relationship between American Indian governments and the federal government. They believed the Constitution of the United States was the place to start.

Shortly after leaving Philadelphia, these same tribal leaders took their ideas to the Congress. Their ideas were simple, as most great ideas are. First, tribes should have a government-to-government relationship with the United States. Second, tribes should be able to prioritize their own programs and follow their own ways of governance. Third, the United States must keep the promises it made to tribes in exchange for land and resources and pay more than lip service to its trust responsibility. A trust responsibility means upholding, regulating and enforcing their treaty obligations."

Get the Story:
Marge Anderson: Let’s Begin a New Era in Federal-Tribal Agreements (Indian Country Today 7/3)