On July 23, 2019, Waseda University’s Global Asia Research Center hosted a public seminar entitled  “Indian Country: A History of Injustice, Struggle, and Overcoming Insurmountable Odds,” in which Dr. Deron Marquez of Claremont Graduate University introduced the historical background of American Indians and how business activities have improved their standard of living.

Dr. Marquez briefly laid out an overview on the history of American Indians and establishment of federal Indian reservations. He explicated that there are three types of reserved federal lands in the United States: military, public, and Indian. The federal Indian reservation is an area of land reserved for tribes under treaty or other agreements with the U.S. government and they have functioned as tribal homelands. In relation to the historical conditions of the Indian reservation, Dr. Marquez talked about the establishment of and the present situation of the tribal gaming industries.

Following the presentation, there was a lively discussion among the participants of the seminar. They brought up the similar issues of indigenous struggle occurring in other countries. For instance, Japan, in particular, has societal and political issues with its aboriginal population in Hokkaido. Australia and Taiwan are facing issues regarding their aboriginal population. It is clear that case of the American Indian model can lead to global dynamics to deal with issues regarding aboriginal populations in other countries. More specifically, Dr. Marquez’s data based on indigenous governance can be a paragon for the study of aboriginal tribes all over the world.