§5601 — Title 25 Indians | U.S. Code

Summary

Congress says the United States has a special relationship and a special responsibility to Indian tribes and Indians. Treaties, laws, and history have created a trust duty for the federal government to protect and support tribes and Native people. Some of the government's duties come from written treaties and agreements where tribes gave up large areas of land in return for peace and promises. Those promises created lasting legal duties the United States must keep. These long-standing relations have helped the whole country and made binding federal obligations the nation must honor.

Title 25, §5601

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Congress finds that—

(1)there exists a unique relationship between the Government of the United States and the governments of Indian tribes;

(2)there exists a unique Federal responsibility to Indians;

(3)through treaties, statutes, and historical relations with Indian tribes, the United States has undertaken a unique trust responsibility to protect and support Indian tribes and Indians;

(4)the fiduciary responsibilities of the United States to Indians also are founded in part on specific commitments made through written treaties and agreements securing peace, in exchange for which Indians have surrendered claims to vast tracts of land, which provided legal consideration for permanent, ongoing performance of Federal trust duties; and

(5)the foregoing historic Federal-tribal relations and understandings have benefitted the people of the United States as a whole for centuries and have established enduring and enforceable Federal obligations to which the national honor has been committed.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 114–178, § 1(a),

June 22, 2016, 130 Stat. 432, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Indian Trust Asset Reform Act’.” Pub. L. 114–178, title II, § 201,

June 22, 2016, 130 Stat. 433, provided that: “This title [enacting subchapter II of this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Indian Trust Asset Management Demonstration Project Act of 2016’.”

§5601 Findings

Summary

Title 25, §5601

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Citations & Metadata