Native Americans: The American Indian Today

American Indians have finally emerged into public consciousness as a distinct minority group. Both government policies in the postwar decades and personal choices have produced a large urban Indian population and have increased economic and political opportunities for reser vation Indians. The social welfare programs of the sixties were in general ill-conceived because they were amendments to larger pieces of national legislation and were often unsuited to the needs and capabilities of reservation Indians. Edu cation in particular has become a mixture of programs that serves few Indians well. Higher education has become a routine and badly administered field that produces little of value for American Indians. Recent political slogans such as tribal sovereignty have made some inroads into the traditional federal relationship, but in general the term has been mis understood and misused. Energy needs have made Indian natural resources an important area for Indian concern. Two basic philosophies compete to attract Indian allegiance: development according to traditional means with royalty income and futuristic agricultural projects that create mini mum disruption and exploitation. Indians stand at the cross roads in identifying and establishing their relationship to the institutions of the larger society.