President Nixon made several great strides in federal Indian policy, including:

  • Returning the sacred Blue Lake to the people of Taos Pueblo in 1970.
  • Enacting the Menominee Restoration Act, restoring the recognition of the previously terminated tribe in 1973.
  • Signing the Indian Healthcare Act.
  • Laid the groundwork for the signing of the Indian Self-Determination Act.
  • Increasing the budget of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) by 214%.
  • Establishing the first special office on Indian Water Rights.
  • Passing the Indian Financing Act of 1974, a bill supporting tribal commercial development.
  • Pledging that all available BIA funds be arranged to fit priorities set by tribal governments themselves.

President Nixon’s vision of self-determination for the first Americans ended two centuries of destructive federal policies, ushering in a new era for Native Americans to control their own destiny.