Describing a process by which tribal governments can, if they wish, use their past to evaluate their present and plan for the future, the document briefly discusses the historical relationship of the United States and American Indian nations; how Indians coped with the new system; the increasing pressures experienced by tribal governments, which have created an economic dichotomy on the reservation; and the organizational structure of tribal governments, as a result of administering their own programs. An overview of the work conducted by the Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO) to aid three tribes with their self-evaluation provides information on the decision to self-evaluate, data collection, and training and technical assistance required by three different tribes. A dialogue between AIO staff, Tribal Council, and the planning office provides a combination of questions, answers, attitudes, and misconceptions that were picked up in the process of trying to understand how planning is handled on a reservation. Common problems of government units and recommendations for solving the problem are discussed: lack of long range planning and continuity; the boom town syndrome; the danger of administering their own federal social programs; and lack of perspective and of a political power base. (NQA)