A Legacy of Inequality for American Indians in Montana

Jan 18, 2012

By MBPC Staff

The twelve tribal Nations and seven Indian reservations of Montana encompass richly complex diversity, cultures, histories, talents, and resources. The tribal Nations and their members have contributed immeasurably to the development to the state’s history, culture, and economy. Unfortunately, just as Montana’s tribes influenced our nation’s and our state’s development, the U.S. government has had a profound and sometimes devastating impact on the nation’s American Indian population. In this installment of the Montana Budget and Policy Center’s State of Working Montana, we explore dramatic racial and economic inequality plaguing Montana. While a recounting of the complex history between the federal and state governments and Montana’s tribal Nations is beyond the scope of this report, the data analysis provided here is, in many ways, the legacy of centuries of damaging policies and practices by the federal government and lingering negative  Native Americans and Work