jun 18, 1934 - Indian Reorganization Act

Description:

The Indian Reorganization Act intended to undo (or, more accurately, stop) the abuse of Indigenous land as permitted by the Dawes Act and Curtis Act. Pressured by the scathing Meriam Report, which surveyed the living conditions of Indigenous tribes and thoroughly outlined the harm caused by these Acts, the administration set forth in reforming the United States government’s Indian Affairs. While effective in eliminating the worst of the mistreatment and dispossession condoned by the Dawes Act and Curtis Act, the Indian Reorganization Act was less successful in restoring autonomy and governance to the tribes. In the decades since the Dawes Act, much of the infrastructure around tribal governance had eroded, and restoring their way of life would be an arduous challenge. The damage done by systematic dispossession of Indigenous land and erasure of Indigenous culture emboldened by settler colonial structures requires more than one Act to undo.

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