James Robert Allison III. Sovereignty for Survival

The concept of American Indian self-determination imagined a transfer of governance from the federal government to individual tribes, but despite lofty intentions, government officials neither adequately defined the term nor made it self-executing. For decades, a raft of monographs has sought to explain self-determination, give it practical application, and trace its evolution within changing federal Indian policy. In Sovereignty for Survival: American Energy Development and Indian Self-Determination, James Robert Allison III examines self-determination within the context of energy resource development. This well-researched and well-written book details how two Montana tribes—the Northern Cheyenne and the Crow—sought to extend sovereignty over their coal reserves when powerful multinational energy corporations came in search of exploratory and mining leases in the 1960s. Stymied by outdated laws and federal Indian policies, tribal leaders ultimately looked for assistance from other tribes and Pan-Indian organizations to challenge the status quo. Allison argues that the result was legislation and an updated legal structure that recognized tribal over federal sovereignty with regard to lands and development on reservations. Sovereignty for Survival makes a significant contribution to the literature on federal Indian policy overall, and more specifically, it adds to the ongoing conversation regarding American Indian self-determination. In addition, this study offers an important chapter to the broader study of the American West.

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