This book aims to fill part of the gap that exists between commonly held misconceptions and the realities of American Indian history and modern life. Part I discusses the "doctrine of discovery," a European legal theory invented to justify the acquisition of Indian lands, and explains why the issue of discovery has had so great an impact on American Indians. Part II contains 115 questions and answers covering definitions and demography; tribes; treaties and agreements between tribes and the United States; misinformation and stereotypes; American Indian languages, culture, and religion; wars; American Indian reservations, natural resources, land use, economics, and social services; legal status of Indians, tribal sovereignty, tribal government, and issues of jurisdiction; structure and programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Indian Health Service, health-related statistics, and alcoholism; history of American Indian education, federal Indian education facilities and programs, and integration of traditional Indian philosophy and Western education; other government agencies and national Indian organizations; and history of Alaska, land claims, the subsistence issue, and socioeconomic problems of Alaska Natives. Part III summarizes the history of U.S. Indian policy. Appendices provide background on Native Hawaiian issues and list tribal entities in the contiguous 48 states, Native entities in Alaska, BIA criteria for a group to qualify as a tribe, Navajo regulations and procedures for tribal membership, and addresses of state Indian commissions. Contains over 400 references, many maps, and an index. (SV)