Overview
The United States has a unique legal and political relationship with Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities as provided by the Constitution of the United States, treaties, court decisions and Federal statutes. Within the government-to-government relationship, Indian Affairs provides services directly or through contracts, grants, or compacts to 562 Federally recognized tribes with a service population of about 1.9 million American Indian and Alaska Natives. While the role of Indian Affairs has changed significantly in the last three decades in response to a greater emphasis on Indian self-governance and self-determination, Tribes still look to Indian Affairs for a broad spectrum of services. The Indian Affairs offers an extensive scope of programs that covers the entire range of Federal, State and local government services.

BIA Museum
View historical information about Indian Affairs leadership, famous American Indians and American Indians heritage events.

Economic Development
One of the Department’s goals is to serve tribal communities by providing access to energy resources and helping tribes stimulate job creation and economic development. These efforts focuses on increasing the economic vitality of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Federal Acknowledgement
The acknowledgment process is the Department's administrative process by which petitioning groups that meet the criteria are "acknowledged" as Indian tribes and their members become eligible to receive services provided to members of federally recognized Indian tribes. The acknowledgment regulations are the result of a rulemaking process that included notice and extensive public comment.

Gaming
Gaming related services focus on the development of policies and procedures used for implementation of gaming-related activities authorized by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and other Federal laws, and coordinating development of all related policies and procedures with affected offices.

Genealogy
Indian Affairs does not conduct genealogical research or maintain a database that you can query in order to find information on your ancestor. Indian Affairs provides a Guide to Tracing Your Indian Ancestry, which provides some general information on the process.

Geographical Informational Services
Geospatial mapping services include tools for sharing geospatial information. This enables both BIA and Tribal offices to have access to high quality geospatial data pertaining to Indian Country and enable effective intra-organization collaboration. These services include the repository for Indian Country geospatial data, training and software. Under the current Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) with ESRI, Tribal customers are eligible to receive copies of the free ESRI software. The only requirement is that the Tribal users submit annual registration forms to the NGRC.

Indian Education
Educational services through the Bureau of Indian Education support education programs and manage residential facilities for Indian students at 184 BIE‐funded elementary and secondary schools and dormitories. These service help Indian children realize their potential, prepare them to compete in the global economy, and preserve their unique cultural heritage. Information technology is used to improve the learning experience of Indian students including investments in network and system infrastructure to support distance learning, videoconferencing, learning management, collaboration. The services also including innovative partnerships (e.g. NASA) to assist students.

Information Technology
IT services are responsible for providing information and technology leadership for all of Indian Affairs. These services include support, training, development, network support and providing IT based tools to improve mission performance and customer satisfaction.

Law Enforcement
These services include responsibilities enhancing public safety and security, understanding of industry best practices as well as best practices from other tribes, modernization, improved network connectivity and radio communications, increased synergy between Law Enforcement and Indian Services, improved desktop and infrastructure support, cultivating relationships and links with external law enforcement agencies, and developing systems to track crime statistics, inmate population, etc.

Real Estate Services
The services center around the administration and management of 66 million acres of land held in trust by the United States for American Indian, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives.

Self-Determination
Created by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, the Division of Indian Self-Determination is charged with the responsibility to further American Indian tribes’ exercise of Self-Determination as a matter of policy. The Division also carries out the Delegation of Authority Initiative which allows for the delegation of authority for the administration and oversight of self-determination contracts and grants to the agency level.

Self-Governance
These services focus on the development and implementation of regulations, policies, and guidance in support of the Self-Governance initiatives. These include facilitating the negotiation of annual funding agreements with eligible tribes and consortia, coordinating the collection of budget and performance data from Self-Governance tribes, and the resolution of issues that are identified in financial and program audits of Self-Governance operations.

Social Services
Services designed to promote the welfare and development of individual American Indians and Alaska Natives for self-government. These include self-determination services, tribal government, road maintenance and construction, housing assistance, social services, child protection and family violence prevention. Services offered include planning, funding, coordinating and evaluating Indian Services programs and services for more than 560 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives villages with a service population of approximately 1.7 million people.

Training
These services provides education and training to Native Americans and to individuals who work in improving the quality of programs and services offered to Indian people.