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one of the major stakeholders in the management of the resources of the Colorado River Basin. Within this major stakeholder role, the Native American tribes are defined as sovereigns, of equal status with federal and state governments, which maintain property rights to water, land, mineral, cultural and religious resources. Additionally, the associated concerns of these tribes to protect and preserve their traditional religious practices and culturallifeways in terms of an ever changing and inconsistent relationship with federal and state govern- ments coupled with the increasing pressures associated with an over allocated Colorado River water system. The entire Colorado River Basin study area, comprising approximately 240,000 square miles, encompasses por- tions of seven (7) states and a small portion of Mexico. Specifically, the study area comprises the southwestern quarter of Wyoming, the eastern half of Utah, the west- ern half of Colorado, the western third of New Mexico, principally the entire state of Arizona, the southeastern point of Nevada, and the extreme southeastern portion of California (Figure 1). Within the basin area there are approximately 34 Native American reservations which are represented by 33 Native American tribes (Figure 2). Table 1 lists the reservations and the states in which they are located. Additionally, there are 23 Native American Reservations (see Table 2), representing 21 Native American tribes, that are within sufficiently close prox- imity to the Colorado River Basin to have utilized por- tions of the basin historically and/or have potential traditional cultural interests and concerns relative to the management of the natural and cultural resources. Hence, there are 33 Native American tribes that should be considered major stakeholders, because their reser- vations are located within the basin, and 21 Native 11 American tribes as potential stakeholders in the man- agement of the Colorado River Basin. Each of these 54 Native American tribes represents a unique and autonomous cultural and political entity with its own specific issues and concerns regarding the management of the resources that comprise the Colorado River Basin. Moreover, because each of these 54 Native American tribes are considered a unique cultural and political entity that have developed their own specific political and legal relationships, regarding land, water, mineral and other resource issues, it is impossible within the scope of this discussion paper to appropri- ately address each of these tribes individual concerns regarding the management of the Colorado River with- in the context of the broader parameters of the Colorado River Basin. Rather, this paper will examine, from a very general perspective, the economic and resource management issues of potential concern to the Native American stakeholders within the Colorado River Basin. In order to fully comprehend the unique stakeholder role that these Native American Tribes play in the man- agement of the Colorado River Basin it is important to understand the historical relationship between the fed- eral government and Native Americans. TRUST RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS Federal policy with respect to Native Americans has shifted during the past two hundred years from regard- ing tribes as sovereign equals, to relocating tribes, to attempts to exterminate or assimilate them, and cur- rently, to encouraging tribal self-determination. A cen- tral problem that Native Americans face today is the complex and confusing pattern of laws, especially fed- eral, that dominate their lives. No other ethnic or cul-