ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the process whereby Indian land was lost to the Indian, presents the magnitude of the lands involved, and comments on the problems that result from this tragic series of events. It discusses the problem as it has developed in three states: Arizona, Montana, and Wisconsin. All three contain sizable tracts of Indian land but possesses distinctive environmental areas. Indian tribal areas in Montana were in a constant state of flux long before contact with whites. Land cession by treaty, however, was only one way the Crow lost land. Additional acreage passed from Indian ownership after the passage of the General Allotment Act in 1887. Like the Indians of Montana, the Indians of Wisconsin were in constant movement throughout the state during the Pre-Columbian period. The Hopis, the only descendants of the Pueblo Indian culture in Arizona, lived in the northeast on three high mesas which served as natural fortifications against hostile tribes.
