What is a Native American? This question is posed throughout Horse’s article which explores the history and definitions of Native people. Horse describes the phrase “White privilege” and how this affects American Indians' ability to maintain identity in a white-dominated society. Colonialism forced Native people to adapt to a way of life that is non- indian. Horse also discusses that being Indian has a number of factors and he uses an example of blood quantum as one of these. In the end, Horse states that identity as a Native American comes from remembering and participating in our traditions and customs that are passed down to us.

Horse, Perry G. “Native American Identity.” New Directions for Student Services, no. 109, © Wiley Periodicals, Inc, 2005. Pp. 61-68.

This article briefly explains and summarizes the event known as the Pueblo Revolt. The revolt of 1680 was one of the only successful uprisings by Native Americans yet its result withheld the Spanish for 12 years. The Revolt not only protected but saved the Pueblos culture, traditions and language but also held their land and resources. The Revolt was led by Po’pay of Ohkay Owingeh whose drive to carry out this act was written by the Spanish threatening to execute several holy men and whip many others. Every morning runners would deliver rope with a knot, the knots signifying the amount of days until the Revolt to the other pueblos. The Pueblo Revolt was significant to establish Pueblo sovereignty, land ownership, resources and tradition.

The Land Buy Back Program for tribal nations allows owners of fractional land an opportunity to receive market value for their land and strengthen tribal sovereignty. The Buy Back Program puts into place the land consolidation component of the Cobell Settlement. This Settlement was given 1.9 billion dollars to buy fractional interests in trust. The program helps stop the loss of Indian land by transferring the interests to the tribe which prevents further fractionation.

In the past couple of years, the department of interior has acquired more than 415,000 acres that have been taken into trust for tribes. Top Interior Department officials determine that they want to raise that number to 500,000 acres, or 781 square miles. The purchase comes as more tribes buy land with cultural or historical significance for Native Americans and the U.S. government places hundreds of thousands of acres of those lands into trust for the tribes. This process of buying back land is one step closer to a process of taking reacquired swaths of land and making it trust which the Santa Ana Pueblo will attempt in the next couple of years. Hypothetically if they were to be successful the land would remain under tribal ownership in which only a congressional vote can allow the land in trust to be taken or sold.

Romero, S. (2020, September 27). Why New Mexico's 1680 pueblo revolt is echoing in 2020 protests. The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/27/us/pueblo-revolt-native-american-protests.html.

This article is a public notice draft sent out to the tribal members of Isleta Pueblo which has established its own process in which land may be claimed by a tribal member. This public notice is not a step-by-step process but an explanation to tribal members of what is being established and what they must abide by. The explanation of land assignments is given which “refers to a transfer of an interest in tribal lands to a tribal member in accordance with the laws of the tribe.” (Pueblo of Isleta 1). No land assignment nor land transaction shall be valid unless said document has been signed by the Governor or one of the lieutenant Governors. There are a couple of exemptions that follow but this public notice highlights the basic definitions and requirements.

Bia.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://www.bia.gov/sites/bia.gov/files/assets/as-ia/raca/pdf/34-Pueblo_of_Isleta.pdf.

The speaker of this video is US Secretary for the Interior Ryan Zinke (2017) and he is speaking at the Nation Tribal Energy Summit. The speaker then proceeds to state the difference between energy dominance and independent energy in which he brings up the example of Teddy Roosevelt that doesn't believe in the idea of transferring or selling public land versus Roosevelt's idea that public land belongs to us all. Zinke states that he is an advocate for the people and attempts to get them a spot at the table. He then focuses on the native land and people and states that one of his goals should be ¨sovereignty means something¨ instead of it being thrown around. Zinke says that in certain places he is unwelcome such as Park service and BLM yet he wants to make an attempt to build trust, the main goal is building trust among these departments. Putting the resources in the front line can help this attempt but the BIA has become bureaucratic and Zinke proposes that he wants to have an outline in which the department should follow and what they want to become in a hundred years. As sovereign nations, we should be partners, and advocate for one another so sovereignty can have meaning.

YouTube. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHyEbxr5dic

When is it okay for someone to take your land from you? When the economy changes it produces winners and losers and at the heart of the chain and how it is used. On one side you have agriculture and farmers who wish the government to take care of the land versus other industrial and commercial companies who want them to acquire to develop the land. How can the government balance both needs while still respecting the land? Taking land equals displacement. Farmers in this town started to protest because with new development they felt they were not getting equally compensated nor was there no space for them to continue farming. How can the government forcibly acquire the land of so many people? The government of West Bengal has enacted the 1894 land acquisition of India “archaic and colonial act” which allows the government to acquire lands at any time so long as it is stated within a public purpose.

Guardian News and Media. (2021, February 20). 'piecing together a broken heart': Native Americans rebuild territories they lost. The Guardian. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from

Tribal communities are slowly “Piercing back a broken heart” by buying back large amounts of land. After more than six decades a 1,705-acre piece of land is making its way back to becoming part of the Klamath Tribes in southern Oregon due to Native American tribes utilizing the real estate market. In this article, the tribes had seen that this land was up for sale, so as part of that effort they attempted to reacquire the territory that was originally theirs, and prepared an offer. It was stated that another owner had another bid but the Tribes won it and now have access to land doubled their current holdings. This purchase is just one of many examples of tribes across the US buying back land that was lost during and after the colonization due to the open market.

The problem of land acquisition in the ... - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQAi 3dx gray

A just recently recognized tribe known as the Mashpee Wampanoag were just allowed to hold 320 acres of Massachusetts land. This land is administered under trust by the federal government and this tribe was only allowed to hold it because they were recognized. Yet their landholding is under threat and could be lost because the US government is attempting to reverse the tribe's official recognition in which they would lose the landholding. The question “what is a sovereign without land?” was asked. Many other tribes are facing difficulties when it comes to acquiring and keeping their land, this example was just one of many.

Biron, C. L. (2018, December 11). Native Americans warn of 'devastating impact' of land proposal. Reuters. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-landrights-law/native-americans-warn-of-devastating-impact-of-land-proposal-idUSKBN1OA1AK