Pathways to Indigenous Nation Sovereignty: A Chronicle of Federal Policy Developments

By Alan R. Parker
Michigan State University Press (2018)
161 pages

Review by Bradley Shreve

Beginning in the 1970s and extending into the 1990s, the federal government implemented dramatic changes to Indian law and policy. While historians and the public alike often fix their attention on the bombast of the Red Power movement and the larger than life personalities that animated organizations such as AIM or the Indians of All Tribes, it was really a cadre of Native lawyers and policy technocrats working through established political channels who deserve the greatest credit for the expansion of tribal sovereignty and self-determination in the late 20^th century. In his new memoir, Pathways to Indigenous Nation Sovereignty, Alan R. Parker (Chippewa Cree) offers his first hand analysis on how the tremendous change and dizzying slew of new federal Indian laws came to be.

Born on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, Parker attended seminary briefly before serving in Vietnam where he earned the Bronze Star. When he returned from his tour of duty, he enrolled in the UCLA Law School, earned his JD, and set off for Washington, DC to help affect change for Indian people. Parker begins his book, not focusing on this personal history, but rather on the dawn of a new era in self-determination when Native leaders convened for the American Indian Chicago Conference of 1961. But the real action begins with the creation of the American Indian Policy Review Commission in 1975, which was tasked with making recommendations in Indian policy.

Parker was appointed to the commission, serving on a task force that studied tribal government. One of their foremost recommendations was the creation of an independent committee on Indian affairs that would recommend legislation to Congress. As chief counsel of this committee, Parker oversaw the development of historic laws such as the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA). Parker and the committee also worked on land and water claims that would greatly enhance Native nations’ sovereignty.

Due to his expertise and track record, Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii appointed Parker as his chief of staff for the Select Committee on Indian Affairs. Parker leaves no doubt that Inouye was a great champion for Indian Country and, arguably, the most important single force to strengthen tribal sovereignty and self-determination in the history of the U.S. Senate. Under Inouye, Parker worked on what would become the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the National Museum of the American Indian Act, and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, as well as the lesser known yet vitally important Tribal Government Tax Status Act.

Parker concludes his book with a chapter on lessons learned during his years of service, which offers tribal leaders today invaluable insights into the nuts and bolts of policymaking and how we got to where we are today. Parker follows this with a special tribute to Senator Inouye and an appendix of major legislative milestones.

Pathways to Indigenous Nation Sovereignty distinguishes itself from the scores of books and articles on federal Indian policy. Written in the first person by one of the change makers during a critical period in American Indian history, this book is both accessible and penetrating.

Bradley Shreve, PhD, is the managing editor of Tribal College Journal and author of Red Power Rising: The National Indian Youth Council and the Origins of Native Activism.