Tribal-State Relations Involving Land and Resources in the Self-Determination Era

Abstract

This research focused on the nature of modern relationships between tribal and state governments in the land and natural resources arena. Surveys were completed by 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 77 tribal governments. The results indicated that neither tribes nor states had a high level of administrative capacity to deal with environmental issues on reservations, and that when states did develop such capacity it was often used against Native American interests. Perceptions of pollution on reservations varied between state and tribal governments. States with neighboring reservations—and especially elected officials—were more hostile to native interests than states without native neighbors. Bureaucratic relations appeared more cooperative. Tribal-state interactions, while not conforming to national-subnational or territorial models of federalism, conformed to the concept of relational federalism.