Indian Reservation

An Indian Reservation is a piece of land that has been given over to Native Americans.

There are roughly three hundred Indian Reservations in the United States. An Indian Reservation is a piece of land that has been given over to Native Americans. They do not have full power over the land, but they do have limited governmental rule. Many Indian Reservations make money through gambling casinos.

Not every state in the United States has an Indian Reservation, and not every Native American tribe has one. There are also Indian Reservations in Canada, however they are set up and run a bit differently then here in America.

President Ulysses S. Grant set up the first Indian Reservations to help settle the growing conflict between the Native Americans and the early settlers. There has always been a great deal of conflict and controversy about Indian Reservations and how they came about. The truth is that the Native Americans were here first and Indian Reservations were set up to give them a piece of land, while the settlers set up new rules and laws and took over the land. Some of the new laws had prohibited the Native Americans from hunting and continuing life in the manner they were accustomed to. Besides hunting, many of the early settlers were setting up new plans to convert the Native Americans to Christianity. However, without the ability to hunt and gather food, as they were accustomed to, many of the Native Americans became bitter as they were forced off their lands and told to become farmers. Many of the early Indian Reservations were resistant to farming and some of the Native Americans faced starvation.

Unfortunately, it has been estimated that some of the Indian Reservations are home to the country’s poorest citizens. This is a tragedy that has occurred in the fabric of our country. Many Indian Reservations have built up a prosperous economic system for themselves through legal gambling and casinos.

Check out the history of the Mission Indian Federation, one of Southern California's Native American tribes.