by Charles Wilkinson (Foreword), Alvin J . Ziontz (Author)
In his memoir, Alvin Ziontz reflects on his more than thirty years representing Indian tribes, from a time when Indian law was little known through landmark battles that upheld tribal sovereignty. He discusses the growth and maturation of tribal government and the underlying tensions between Indian society and the non-Indian world. A Lawyer in Indian Country presents vignettes of reservation life and recounts some of the memorable legal cases that illustrate the challenges faced by individual Indians and tribes.
As the senior attorney arguing U.S. v. Washington, Ziontz was a party to the historic 1974 Boldt decision that affirmed the Pacific Northwest tribes' treaty fishing rights, with ramifications for tribal rights nationwide. His work took him to reservations in Montana, Wyoming, and Minnesota, as well as Washington and Alaska, and he describes not only the work of a tribal attorney but also his personal entry into the life of Indian country.
Ziontz continued to fight for tribal rights into the late 1990s, as the Makah tribe of Washington sought to resume its traditional whale hunts. Throughout his book, Ziontz traces his own path through this public history - one man's pursuit of a life built around the principles of integrity and justice.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 328
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Published: 25 May 2013
ISBN 10: 0295992352
ISBN 13: 9780295992358
Book Overview: An important and compelling story of one man's remarkable career representing Indian tribes during the golden age of the modern Indian rights movement. -- Robert T. Anderson, University of Washington School of Law Ziontz's memoir draws us into the inner world of tribal and legal strategy that shaped one of the most important social movements of the twentieth century-the struggle of Native Americans to reclaim their resources and sovereignty. Lawyers, scholars, and activists can all learn from his revealing account of partnership between a developing Indian lawyer and his tribal clients. -- Carole Goldberg, Distinguished Professor of Law, UCLA As one who was born to and lived where Al Ziontz went-Indian Country-I am deeply grateful for this memoir. A Lawyer in Indian Country is the story of a gifted attorney on the frontlines of Native legal reform who also brought great conscience to his work. As a Southern Cheyenne, I value both immensely, but in the end it is his defining and transcendent empathy and humanity regarding Native America that matter to me most. -- W. Richard West, Jr., Founding Director and Director Emeritus, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution
Ziontz infuses wit and humor into his narrative, yet the heartbreak and frustration surrounding Indian rights is palpable. . . . A Lawyer in Indian Country is a must read for anyone interested in Native-white relations, Native rights, of Pacific Northwest history. Simply put, Ziontz provides a riveting account of struggle and success and goes beyond court documents and affidavits to reveal the people behind the cases, and the man behind the people.
* Pacific Northwest Quarterly *A Lawyer in Indian Country is a compelling legal and personal story... Readers will find this richly textured memoir an inspiring story, with the author deserving high praise for advancing the constitutional rights of American Indians.
* The Oregon Quarterly *
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