ABSTRACT
The two main functions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs through most of its history have been to help Indians adjust to the society that gradually surrounded and engulfed them, or to help them live in the presence of that society on a self-sufficient basis, and to exercise trust responsibility for Indian land and resources as long as that was required by law. In Indian affairs, as in any other program, what is actually done in the field becomes the policy as far as the persons being served are concerned, whether or not the action bears close relationship to written statements of policy or procedure. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is still the largest administrative organization dealing with Indians, and it has the greatest variety of activities as well. The functional staff offices under the commissioner of Indian affairs in the headquarters office are Indian Services, Trust Responsibilities, and Administration.
