Tracking the Land

The current status of Indian land tenure within most American Indian reservation territories is marked by an insufficient and inadequate tribal land base, as a result of historical and contemporary federal Indian policies. Many tribes have prioritized land acquisition within their reservation territories, utilizing conventional and creative strategies for their land acquisition efforts. While an important aspect of contemporary tribal sovereignty, little research explores Indian land tenure issues specifically. This book utilizes standardized federal Indian policy time periods to track the amount of Grand Portage and Leech Lake Reservation land held in Ojibwe trust ownership over time, as well as their land acquisition strategies. With a smaller reservation, the Grand Portage Band has been remarkably successful and owns over 80% of their lands. The Leech Lake Band experienced a harsher land tenure history, and now owns only 5% of their expansive reservation, indicative of a more contested territory. This work will interest researchers who focus on American Indian history, federal Indian policy, tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction, and Indian land trust, tenure and acquisition.