A remarkable rediscovery of Native American government, political participation, and political theory spanning 1,000 years. Native Americans and Political Participation opens the door to a previously invisible subject in political science and American history. Presenting, for the first time, data from a Native American survey of more than 400 elected and appointed tribal officials collected over the past ten years, this watershed work infuses facts with personal opinions of 20th-century Native American tribal leaders. Readers will learn how multitribe lobbying is funded by gambling revenues and meet key activists like the Means and Bellcourt brothers. Other topics covered include the National Congress of American Indians, the battle at Wounded Knee, and the American Indian Movement. Discussions of these and other events and organizations reveal the powerful ways in which American Indians are utilizing the political system to further their causes.