American Indian Culture and Research Journal

INTRODUCTION Off-reservation and urban Native Americans experience complex, sociopolitical identity problems, especially within the framework of minority ethnic groups. These identity problems stem from racial discrimination; indigenous identity issues; tribal or reservation cultural affiliation; organizational involvement; extreme minority representation; and a general lack of economic, educational, or political support systems. Nearly all such problems and social conflicts are historically based, either present in actual governmental policies or in the perceptions of tribal members living in urban areas. This study finds that in the Chicago metropolitan area, these are further linked to social problems experienced by the other racial minority groups living in the area, exacerbating “minority of minorities” interactional fields with little demographic presence or political power. Chicago is an excellent location to study these complex, overlaid problems, which include identity construction and structural discrimination. Although the city is proximal to many Native nations and Indian lands in other states, Illinois does not have federally recognized Indian tribes or reservations. Chicago was a major relocation program city, amplifying the Native American population, traffic, and intertribal networks, even as support systems have waxed and waned over the years. Still, the city has hosted at least two nationally important conferences, with many programs run through local colleges, universities, and social service agencies, that have served as political fulcrums. In tandem with an ongoing reservation-to-city movement and cross-reservation mobility, Chicago has maintained a rich and diverse Native American population.