What are the sovereign rights of Native Americans?
Native American tribes in California have inherent sovereign rights, which means their governments are independent from the State of California. This means that the tribes have the right to self-governance and the ability to create their own laws and regulations. These rights are protected by treaties between the United States and California’s Native American tribes, as well as federal statutes and Supreme Court decisions. The sovereign rights of Native Americans grant them exclusive rights over property, wildlife, water rights, and access to natural resources like timber and minerals. These rights are granted to the tribes by both treaties and federal law. Native Americans may also exercise the right to hunt and fish on their ancestral lands, as well as the right to practice their traditional religions, ceremonials, and cultural practices. Tribes also have the right to limit state governments from interfering in their internal affairs. This means that tribes have the power to exclude outsiders from their territories, as well as the power to levy taxes and regulate business activities on their land. Tribes also enjoy the right of tribal members to be tried on major crimes committed in Indian country, rather than by state courts. This affords tribes the ability to protect their own members and laws. In short, the sovereign rights of Native Americans are protected by treaties, federal law, and Supreme Court decisions. These rights grant them exclusive rights to their property, wildlife, water rights, and access to natural resources, as well as the ability to limit state government interference, levy taxes, and regulate business activity on their land. Additionally, tribal members have the right to be tried in tribal courts rather than state courts.
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