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The Unseen Harm: U.S.-Indian Relations & Tribal Sovereignty, George Emmons

Golden Gate University Law Review

This article explores tribal sovereignty through the lens of the Standing Rock Sioux and its opposition to the DAPL. The DAPL situation is a symptom of the larger problem of a lack of tribal consultation, which diminishes tribal sovereignty and tribal rights.

Part I discusses the history of tribal sovereignty through an explanation of the domestic dependent status of Indian tribes and the two historic canons of Indian treaty interpretation. The Court’s interpretation and application of these canons in the cases of Winters, Dion, and Bourland have a direct relation to the amount of protection given to Indian tribes.

Part …