They assure that Indians know as little as possible and participate to the smallest extent in reservation affairs. In ABA articles, neither Yellow Bird nor her colleagues get around to just what sovereignty ought to do now. They believe judicial power should be greater, and that more non-Indian offenders ought to be tried in tribal courts. Some tribal courts, such as those of the Navajos, whose jurisdiction Means attacks, are well-established and reliable. In America's litigious society, the Indian emphasis on peace-making looks like progress.
Smaller tribes lack formal courts.
The tribal council handles disputes, as it handles just about everything else, and councils often handle business in language not understood anywhere or by anyone off the reservation. Anglos and Hispanics have a long and bad history of mistreating Native American people. Sometimes, the reverse was true. Still, the civil rights commitment of today's tribes is not inspirational. As residents thrown off of pueblo lands learn, the First Amendment doesn't protect religious minorities from tribal governments.