This sheet describes the background, objective, approach, and accomplishment of Legacy Project #06-315, US DoD 2007 Desk Guide to Military Installations and Federally Recognized Tribes Located in the South and Eastern United States.
This strategic planning effort identified the need for a practical tool: a desk guide, that could assist both tribal governments and DoD installations achieve more meaningful government-to-government communication on a sustained basis. In turn, conflicts could be resolved or mitigated prior to becoming problematic.
This report identifies Department of Defense (DoD) installation obligations arising from treaties and agreements negotiated by the United States and Indian nations between 1775 and 1954. In general, these treaties recognize tribal members rights to hunt, fish, gather, and otherwise continue longstanding use of lands now occupied by DoD installations.
This desk guide provides legal background and history of federal Indian law and policies regarding the unique status of tribes as governments.
The Desk Guide is the starting point for identifying the proper tribe(s) to contact. Initiating formal, government-to-government consultation would typically follow. The Desk Guide contains basic information on both the military installations and the tribes located in the South and Eastern Regions so that this same information is readily available for the tribal governments and their staff. Tribal staff may need to contact a military installation in a region or state which is part of their area of concern or aboriginal territories.