Native American Lands

Abstract

Among the 565 federally recognized tribes, 337 reside in the lower 48 states, on reservations covering nearly 56 million acres (or about 2.3 percent of the country's total land base.) Of this land, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) estimates that there are "15 million acres of potential energy and mineral resources" in addition to the 2.1 million acres already being tapped for its resource wealth. 1 All of this land is held in trust by the U. S. government, which legally is responsible for maintaining it for the benefit of current and future generations of Native Americans. 2