[dentist90]

We've got similar issues in Canada. First Nations demand to be consulted on any project that is to be developed, as it involves their traditional lands. Problem is that here in BC natives have laid claim to some 110% of the land mass. And because they consider themselves sovereign nations they claim the right to veto any development. Some of these first nations only represent a couple hundred people. Most of our native bands are not well off... very few have casinos, and the only reason they do is because they claim sovereignty. I cannot start my own casino without government permits and oversight. But gambling, although lucrative, does not seem to me a very productive lifestyle.

Many tribes in Canada have had land/cash settlements, along with hunting/fishing/resource rights, that were supposed to be final. But when the money runs out our Fed gov't has to step in to help. There are internal complaints (rightly so) about nepotism and corruption with the band Chiefs, but that is part of their sovereign system. We can't fix that for them without going back to a paternal system again.

But what to do? The way I see it a cohesive, functional country cannot have multiple sovereign governments within. There must be an over-riding federal system that all others fall under. There should be only one constitution. Our French population in Quebec is another sovereignist group who feel they deserve special status above other Canadian citizens.
Lincoln said it very well: a housed divided against itself cannot stand. If integration is the answer how do we accomplish it while allowing first nations (and other special groups) to maintain their traditional culture in an evolving world?