If you are looking for present day, solid information about the 566 federally recognized Indian tribes in the U.S. you need look no further than the soon-to-be-released new edition of Tiller’s Guide to Indian Country: Economic Profiles of American Indian Reservations. The first edition came out in 1996 and since that time it has been one of the most complete, widely used and relied upon reference books about today’s tribes.
This third edition begins with the story of the economic success being achieved by an array of tribes and tribal enterprises – and not just gaming enterprises. The profiles examine tribal-owned ventures from electronic communication services and agriculture, to wind and solar power farms. The economic success stories and the comprehensive information contained within the book represent the lifework of Dr. Veronica Tiller, a citizen of the Jicarilla Apache tribe in New Mexico.
“The Indian economic renaissance is a powerful success story of the resilience of the human spirit and the promise of America itself,” said Dr. Tiller, a tribal historian and longtime scholar on tribal economic development. She explained that the involvement of a tribe in Tiller’s Guide can play a big part in how that tribe is seen by the outside world.
“This new edition shines the light on economic aspects of the reservations that would otherwise remain in darkness, little known to the business and government entities that can do so much to help us all prosper,” said Dr. Tiller, who has also authored books about Jicarilla culture and history.
W. Ron Allen, Chairman/CEO of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal community of Washington State, writes: “Veronica Tiller has methodically and patiently gathered together this information into a single, thorough guide. That’s what makes Tiller’s Guide indispensable.”
With a PhD in American Indian history from the University of New Mexico, Dr. Tiller left her academic career in 1980 to concentrate on practical applications of her research. Since then, her company, Tiller Research Inc., has specialized in studies related to tribal natural resources including water rights, energy, forestry, the environment in addition to tribal economies. Her many clients include tribes, federal and state agencies and private companies.
In the process of her research, Dr. Tiller realized that the powerful story of the modern rise of America’s Indian tribal economies was a story of national importance that was woefully undocumented. In the early 1990s she assembled a team of researchers to produce the first edition of the guide.
The guide, which is in alphabetical order by state and by tribe within the states, quickly became an important resource and reference book to government entities (such as the U.S. Justice Department), and businesses and law firms working with tribes. It has also been utilized by courts and referenced in court settlements pertaining to tribes and tribal members.
“Journalists, lawyers, government officials, teachers and business people have all come to know that they need this book if they want to work effectively with Indian communities,” said Susan Masten, Vice Chair of the Yurok Tribe in California. “Officials have confessed that without this guide, they wouldn’t know how to do their jobs. We all owe a vote of thanks to Dr. Tiller for making hundreds of relationships with the tribes possible to American government and business.
“The Tiller Guide is an invaluable resource. I routinely use it in my work and teaching,” quotes Joseph P. Kalt of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, Harvard University. “In its straightforward presentation of the critical facts and histories of hundreds of Indian nations, it actually makes a profound statement: Native America is not only rooted in history, but is today confronting in its own terms all of the challenges of determining its own future as a set of numerous distinct, contemporary, and vibrant communities. There is inspiration in that.”
A new twist to the upcoming release is that for the first time it will be available in e-book format, “There are several advantages to the e-book. Of course the whole publishing industry is moving towards e-books. You can carry it with you on your iPad, along with 100 other books. The second good thing about the e-book is that it’s less expensive than the hard copy to manufacture. It is also easier for revisions,” said Dr. Tiller.