Modern Indian tribes out of necessity have developed the ability to live in two worlds, that of traditional culture and the dominant society. Today, many tribes have "affiliated" in the modern world, while still retaining their ancient tribal identities.
The Three Affiliated Tribes are an alliance made up of the Mandan Indians, Hidatsa Indians and the Arikara nation. They are located at the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians is an organization made up of the tribes living in southeast Alaska, Washington, Oregon, northern California, Idaho, Nevada, and western Montana.
The term Five Civilized Tribes is the name commonly given to the five major tribes of the southeastern part of the United States: the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Muskogee Confederation (Creeks), and Seminoles.
The Iroquois Confederacy dates back to the 1600's and the US system of democracy was based on their system of rule. The Iroquois Confederacy is a political union of North American Indian nations who acted (and act) in war and peace, in trade alliances and treaties of goodwill, as a single nation. This alliance was originally between the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca, but later the Tuscaroras joined their league. The English called the original alliance the the Five Indian Nations.
The Anishinabe were once one large tribe. Later they split into the tribes of the Three Council Fires. The Chippewa (Ojibwa) were to become the oldest brother and the Keepers of the Faith. The Ottawa (Odawa), the middle brother, was to become the Keepers of the Trade, and the Potawatomi (Bodewadmi) the youngest brother was to become Keeper of the Fire.
The Wabanaki Confederacy, also known as the Eastern Confederacy, was a coalition of five Algonquian tribes of the eastern seaboard, banded together in response to Iroquois aggression. The Abenaki, Penobscot, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and the Mi'kmaq each retained their own political leadership, but collaborated on broader issues such as diplomacy, war, and trade. The confederation officially disbanded in 1862, but the five tribes remain close allies, and the Wabanaki Confederacy lives on in the form of a political alliance between these historically friendly nations.
