Bureau of Indian Affairs

Since its founding in 1824 the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has played a central role in shaping [Page 89]the lives and living conditions of the numerous and diverse American Indian tribes living within the borders of the United States. As the federal agency responsible for implementing the policies and legislation concerningAmerican Indians, the BIA quickly became the face of the U.S. government for native peoples. Initially responsible for the provisioning of services, including health, welfare, education, and economic development of Native North Americans, the BIA structured all aspects of American Indian lives. Unfortunately, for many American Indians this presence has been overwhelmingly negative; the BIA has historically acted in a corrupt and paternalistic fashion, initially operating under the goal of assimilation, which has been destructive, if not devastating, to Native peoples, their sacred lands, and their traditional cultures. From official federal policies of removal and relocation to the creation of the reservation system, and beyond, the BIA has played the most visible federal role in the colonization of Native peoples. In addition to contributing to the dismal social, economic, and health conditions prevalent on reservations, the historicallyunderfundedbureaufailedrepeatedlytoeffectively secure the money needed to create any meaningful and long-lasting social and economic change for American Indians. The bureau failed to acknowledge the primacy of land to the development of any effective program of social and economic justice for American Indians. Despite these challenges, American Indians have remained remarkably resilient, preserving their cultures and customs in the face of seemingly insur mountable obstacles.

Originally called the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA), the bureau did not actually become the Bureau of Indian Affairs until 1947. Established on March 11, 1824, the OIA was originally conceived as a division of the War Department. Prior to this time, Indian affairs were supervised by the secretary of war and, for a brief time, the Office of Indian Trade. In 1849, the OIA was reassigned to the Department of the Interior, becoming the BIA nearly 100 years later.

With its initial creation in 1824, the OIA was primarily responsible for American Indians living east of the Mississippi River, but this quickly changed. The federal government began unofficially encouraging Indian relocation westward in the early 19th century, despite official assurances that native lands would not be coercively taken. With the 1828 election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency, however, official policy shifted to one of removal and relocation, formalizing the government's westward push. On May 28, 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act authorizing the removal of East Coast–based Indians to the West. Throughout the 1830s and 1840s, this deadly policy of removal and relocation was carried out. The Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek Indians were among those removed from their eastern home-lands and relocated in distant and unfamiliar western lands. The Cherokee removal in 1838 came to be known as the “Trail of Tears” because of the brutality of the journey in which several thousands died. By 1843, with the relocation largely finished, the OIA, headquartered in Washington, DC, became increasingly influential in the West.

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