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A Fateful Time: The Background and Legislative History of the Indian Reorganization Act. By Elmer R. Rusco. (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2000. xviii, 363 pp. $44.95, ISBN 087417-345-0.)
The 1934 Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) promoted Indian self-determination, ended the reservation land allotments that had been implemented by the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887, and encouraged Indian tribes to establish tribal governments. It was the cornerstone of Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier's Indian New Deal. Arguably, the IRA has been one of the most important and controversial pieces of federal Indian legislation since its enactment. According to Elmer R. Rusco, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Las Vegas at Reno, previous studies of the IRA have not adequately examined the drafting, modification,...