Exiled in the Land of the Free: Democracy, Indian Nations, and the U.S. Constitution

These impressive essays by eight Native American leaders and scholars present persuasive evidence that the American colonists and U.S. founding fathers borrowed from the Iroquois Confederacy and other Indian political institutions in drafting the U.S. Constitution and in creating democratic traditions. In his majestic opening essay, Lyons, an Onondaga chief and professor of American studies at the State University of New York, recounts the European invasion through Native American eyes. Vine Deloria Jr. examines how the Constitution and various branches of the federal government systematically work to deprive Native Americans of their rights and land. Calling for Indian self-determination, Laurence Hauptman looks at current tribal problems in light of two centuries of congressional intrusion. A major theme of this timely, forceful book is the Native American demand for sovereign rights as a legal basis for fair and reasonable claims on certain public lands. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Oct.)