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Review Of The Encyclopedia Of Native American Legal Tradition, Mark R. Scherer

History Faculty Publications

Native American law has been traditionally and accurately characterized as one of the most complex and contradictory realms of American jurisprudence. Today it is also, of course, one of the most dynamic areas of legal activity, as questions of renewed tribal sovereignty, often centering on Indian gaming issues, reverberate in statehouses and the halls of Congress. The Encyclopedia of Native American Legal Tradition appears, then, at a particularly propitious time. Bruce E. Johansen has produced a valuable and accessible reference work, useful to academic researchers but largely free of legal jargon. More significantly, he has filled a gap left by …