ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Tribal sovereignty in the United States

Okay kiddo, let me tell you a story about how the Native American tribes in the United States are like little kingdoms within a big kingdom.

A long, long time ago, before America was even a country, the Native American people were all living in their own separate tribes, with their own leaders and their own way of life.

Then, when the colonizers from Europe came over, they started taking over Native American land and forcing them to follow their rules. But some tribes fought back and managed to keep their land and their way of life.

So, the U.S. government signed treaties with some of these tribes, which said that they could still have control over their own land and people, and they were basically allowed to govern themselves. This is called tribal sovereignty.

Think of it like this: you and your friends have your own little club with your own rules, like how you only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at lunch. And your mom and dad have rules for the whole house, like how you have to clean up your toys before bedtime. But when you're in your club, you get to make your own rules and do things your own way.

For the Native American tribes, they get to make their own rules and have their own governments, but they still have to follow some of the rules that the U.S. government makes for the whole country.

So, tribal sovereignty is kind of like having your own little kingdom within a bigger kingdom. And it's important because it allows Native American people to keep their culture and traditions alive, even while living in a country that is very different from their own.