"This high pretension of savage sovereignty" -- Corn Tassel : state and federal conflict over tribal sovereignty -- U.S. Indian law and the Indian nations : the Creek Nation, 1870-1900 -- Crow Dog's case --Imposed law and forced assimilation : the legal impact of the Major Crimes Act and the Kagama decision -- Sitting Bull and Clapox : the application of BIA law to Indians outside of the Major Crimes Act -- The struggle for tribal sovereignty in Alaska, 1867-1900 -- The legal structuring of violence : U.S. law and the Indian wars -- Conclusion.