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Carl C. Christensen
Professor of Law
University of Hawai'i at Manoa
The history of Federal Indian Law is intertwined with the history of the United States itself, and the legal status of Indians and other Native Americans has evolved over time in response to the westward expansion of the once-struggling European colonies established in eastern North America in the 17th Century. A major theme has been the varying influence of policies favoring tribal self-determination and those aimed at forcing Indians to assimilate within the non-Native society that has come to surround them. This paper will briefly explore the current manifestations of the "special relationship" between the United States and those Native peoples it recognizes as such.
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