There are basically three types of sovereigns in the United States. There is the federal government, which is sometimes called the supreme sovereign. There are state governments, which derive their sovereignty from the federal government, and there are Indian governments. Indians' sovereignty predates both federal and state governments. That means Indian governments have inherent sovereignty which is not derived from any other government, but rather from the people themselves.
Sovereignty is often a hard concept for people to grasp.
Part of the reason for this is that there is no clear definition of sovereignty. However, there are a number of generally accepted, fundamental attributes that qualify something as sovereign. First, and most important, are people. There must be a distinct, unique group of people. These people must have a distinct language, a distinct moral and religious structure, and a distinct cultural base.