Indigenous Peoples and the American Constitution

Part of the America250 lecture series.

The United States Constitution, its application, and its interpretation have of necessity existed in the context of inherently sovereign American Indian nations.  How the Constitution has been read and enacted in regard to Native peoples has always been a reflection of contemporary American moral guidelines. This lecture will discuss some of the complex relationships that have resulted.

Sebastian Braun became director of American Indian studies at Iowa State University in 2015; he was previously chair of the department of American Indian studies at the University of North Dakota. His research interests are focused around the intersections of culture, politics, and the environment; ethnohistory (mostly the northern plains); and contemporary issues of sovereignty. His current work deals with the extraction of natural resources and the impacts on communities. Since 2005, he has been writing the chapter on the "United States for The Indigenous World", the yearly summary of developments concerning indigenous peoples by the International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA).

This lecture recording can be found on the Available Recordings page approximately two business days after the event and will remain accessible for three weeks.