Tribal Nations of Turtle Island
There are 574 federally recognized Indian Nations (variously called tribes, nations, bands, pueblos, communities, and native villages) in the United States. Approximately 229 of these ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse nations are located in Alaska; the other federally recognized tribes are located in 35 other states.
The Tribal nations maintain the power to determine their own governance structures and enforce laws through their own departments and tribal courts responsible for a broad range of governmental activities on tribal lands such as; environmental protection, natural resource management, the development, and maintenance of basic infrastructure; as well as, education, health care, law enforcement, and judicial systems.