Actually Existing Indian Nations: Modernity, Diversity, and the Future of Native American Studies.

NATIVE American studies; MODERNITY; CULTURAL pluralism; NATIONALISM; ETHNONATIONALISM; NATIVE American reservations

LEECH Lake Indian Reservation (Minn.); MINNESOTA

This article discusses the state of Native American studies as a field and suggests that both the scholarly discipline and the broader indigenous movement should engage with the modernity and diversity that exists within Native communities. It is suggested that doing so will require a critical examination of the field's theoretical discourses, especially nationalism. Particular focus is given to the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota, which the author describes as an Ojibwe tribal nation. It is suggested that an indigenous form of modernity can strengthen such nations. Topics discussed include the relationship between Native Americans and other indigenous peoples, ethnonationalism, and the concept of ethnie.