I never said nor intended to say that Native Americans had to renounce their citizenship to live on the res. Just the opposite. Many Lakota have NOT chosen to become uS citizens. But I have to disagree with you about sovereignty. The recognized tribes are free to run their own court systems and self determine the running of the reservations (within some bounds). If you break the law on a res you go to THEIR court not a state court.They are exempt from many Federal laws and from many laws in the States the reservations are in. The Lakota are somewhat different because of the terms their treaties were initiated under and the circumstances they were "negotiated" under. Native Americans are a unique type of person in the united States. They can choose to be citizens or not - unlike one who is born in a state and automatically given a Birth Certificate.
It is unfortunate that this recent move is done by Russell. His baggage will cloud the real issue of how the BIA treats the NA's. Rosebud Reservation is one of the poorest places on Earth. The Feds will claim that because they have paid all of the $$$ granted in treaties has been paid and that the treaties are in force and valid. As I said in my first post when it comes to court time the Lakota need to be very careful about what questions they ask the court.
BTW I know this because my hunting guide is a Lakota Elder and one of my buddies is married to a direct descendant of Sitting Bull. I am one of the few white people granted specific permission to visit Wounded Knee. No I am not an "Indian" proponent; I just understand their side of this issue.
And, as I said, I understand how the reservation works...I know they have their own tribal police and courts. My point is simple, if they start to blatantly violate US Federal law, the US Federal government WILL intervene. Let them shut down one Interstate Highway, let them try and harbor one federal fugitive, even if it is one of their own, and you will see how far their "soveriegnty" extends.
The entire reservation system is corrupt IMHO, despite some individual contradictions to that rule.
Any Indian who wants off the reservation can get off it, but the tribal councils and the US taxpayers through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal and Reservation "welfare" system perpetated by scheming and self-serving politicians, give these people housing and allowances and have enslaved them and removed incintive from them to engraft themselves into the American system and improve themselves. Very similar to the overall welfare system...in fact, in many ways the overall system has been modeled after this...and both are abject failures.
Many, many who leave the reservation (and that is their choice) do improve their lot and it is because of the American system.
It is long past time to end this farce and engraft the indigenous people as a whole into the American system IMHO.
But that's all it is, is my opinion.
Fact is, there was a war, it lasted for a couple of hundred years against all of the Indian cultures who resisted the American expansion. There were depredations and lying and tragedy on both sides...but the Indian nations lost. And given the history that played itself out thereafter in the World Wars...thank God they did lose.