Contemporary Issues

To better understand the treaties signed between Native American tribes resident in Michigan and the federal government four case studies, primarily focused on late twentieth-century issues.  The first case study deals with a contentious dispute over treaty-guaranteed fishing rights in the Great Lakes.  The second case study looks at a Native American college tuition waiver program voluntarily adopted by the Michigan legislature after the federal courts denied a claim to such a waiver under federal treaties asserted by Michigan tribal members. The two remaining case studies discuss casino gambling and federal education policy toward Native Americans, neither of which directly results from treaties, but which are significant issues within the Native American community