Overview
DIRECTIONS: Write your FIRST AND LAST NAME ON YOUR ASSIGNMENT. 7 page limit (Use narrow margins if you must), 12-point font, double-spaced, and cite sources with pages numbers
This is an overview of the final exam due Sunday 12/1/25 @ by 11:59pm
1. The exam will be available Wednesday 11/19/25 and submitted online @ 11:59pm, 12/1/25
2. Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.
3. The exam questions will focus on the articles & films we covered together in class during lecture.
a. The exam will focus on articles & films from Week 1 through Week 9.
4. The exam will consist of 11 questions:
a. 10 short answer questions worth 5 points each for a total of 50 points.
i. Top scoring answers should be 1-2 paragraphs in length.
b. 1 essay question worth 50 points.
i. Top scoring answers should be 1-2 pages in length.
5. This is an untimed take home exam so there is a 7-page limit for the exam length (use narrow margins if you need more room)
6. It is open book, notes, and PowerPoints from class. If you are going to reference a specific article from Week 1 through Week 15 you need to cite the article properly.
7. Only use assigned course readings, lectures, films, and slides to answer the questions.
a. Students that use content from outside sources (internet) may receive a point deduction.
AMIND 485 Federal Indian Law: Exam
Short Answer Questions:
- From Walter Echo-Hawk’s, In the Courts of the Conqueror, numerous cases have been decided to overturn unjust legal fictions for the American Japanese community [Korematsu v US, compensation for WWII internment camps], the African American community [Brown v Board, desegregation], and for the Aborigines of Australia [Mabo and other v Queensland, Aboriginal legal fictions overruled]. Yet, Native American legal fictions still remain as precedence in the United States and there is no comparable court case. Why?
- What was the most interesting, impactful or memorable fact(s) you learned from your Tribal Constitution project? Why is this important to you?
- Other than you own Tribal Constitution project; which Tribal Constitution project presentation did you learn the most from? What specifically did you like about the presentation? THIS QUESTION WILL BE ANSWERED AFTER GROUP PROJECTS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED, PLEASE BRING A PEN OR PENCIL.
- ICWA: Explain the specific violations committed by Maldonado and the Capobiancos with regard to ICWA. How was the argument focusing on “best interest” of the child applied in Adoptive Child v Baby Girl?
- ICWA: How can the argument by the Capobianco’s v. Brown be interpreted as a violation of the Spirit and Letter of the Indian Child Welfare Act? What lessons can tribal nations learn from the history and example of Adoptive Child v Baby?
- Discuss the evolution of tribal governments and how tribal governments have evolved from their pre-contact state. Mention a challenge (or two) that modern tribal governments face because of colonization.
- Discuss the major developments in the field of Indian gaming after the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988. What major boundaries have been marked out? How has the compact process stabilized in many states? Why should gaming tribes have a reason for optimism?
- Why is it important for our class to watch “Art Bunce’s Oral History?" What does he say about the current state of tribal sovereignty? Why?
- From week thirteen’s lecture “Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,” discuss how Indian gaming has benefited both gaming and non-gaming tribes and how gaming revenue has addressed historical trauma?
- What was the most interesting, impactful or memorable concept you learned from AMIND 485? How will this information help you in the future with your professional goals?
Essay Question:
To support your answers, briefly discuss a history of important Supreme Court cases from 1823 and analyze several Federal Indian laws and policies. For much of the semester you have looked at court cases, watched films, read case studies and researched the Dawes Act, Indian Reorganization Act, Termination Act, and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act – the later, describing the ways that tribal communities have been positively impacted by tribal gaming in the past 20-25 years.
- How has tribal sovereignty been strengthened and/or weakened under the Self-Determination Era?
- What could be the next Federal Indian policy?
- Will the pendulum swing back to annihilation of Indian tribes?
- Did we reach a final balance with no major changes?