Overview:  The concept of sovereignty for Indian nations centers on the concept that they are self-governing nations.  Historically, tribes controlled their own affairs before the U.S. Government assigned many of them to reservations overseen by appointed Indian Agents whose power was backed up by the U.S. Army.  With the passage of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, the U.S. Government recognized the rights of Indian tribes to self-government, and President Richard Nixon reaffirmed this right with his 1970 message to Congress on Indian self-determination.

Based on the U.S. Constitution, treaties, and Supreme Court decisions, Indian nations have a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. Government, and are largely independent of state governments.  The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs represents the U.S. Government in its work with Indian nations.