1. 1. Native American nations have the right to govern themselves, a power known as . This means they can make decisions about their own communities and leadership.

     

  2. 2. recognition comes from the United States government and creates a formal relationship between Native nations and the federal government.

     

  3. 3. recognition comes from individual state governments.

     

  4. 4. Recognition is important because it helps protect tribal and acknowledges the continued presence of Native nations today.

     

  5. 5. However, the recognition process can be difficult because and government policies disrupted Native communities and made it harder to document their history over time.