I frequently receive e-mails from folks in other countries asking me if they can visit an Indian reservation to observe the natives, to see their lifestyle, and to experience their culture. I am never sure how to answer such a question. It often seems like the writer lacks understanding for people's basic right to privacy.
Suppose I wrote to someone in the UK asking, "Can I visit an English village, see how the natives live, and experience their culture?" I believe the simple answer would be. "yes, as long as you don't peer through their bedroom windows and barge in on their church services popping flash photos." The same principles apply to Native Americans. Most reservations are open to the public, so you can go on them, and perhaps, see some of the residents. You must, however, respect their privacy.
An Indian reservation is the home of a specific Indian tribe. The members of that tribe have built their homes, their villages, their schools,their communal meeting places and their places of worship on their reservation. They enjoy nearly full autonomy within that reservation. They maintain their own government, their own code of laws, their own educational system, their own public services, and their own police force. Some members of the tribe choose to live on the reservation. Others do not. Most reservations are open to visitors, some have even built facilities designed to attract tourists. A few reservations are closed to uninvited visitors, because the residents value their privacy.
Long ago, colonists from other countries drove the Indian tribes off of their historic homelands, and forced them to relocate to the reservations. The lands reserved for the Indian tribes were typically unsuitable for agriculture and useless for economic development. Nevertheless, many tribal members choose to remain on the reservations, because that has become the civic and cultural center of their tribe. Other members of the tribe have chosen to relocate to areas where jobs are more plentiful or the lands are more fertile.
Most Indians are proud of their tribal heritage. They strive to uphold their traditional family and tribal values, and to maintain their cultural integrity. Unfortunately, some of the Indian reservations suffer from widespread unemployment and poverty. In some cases, this has fostered alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and domestic violence. Other reservations are blessed with natural resources or economic advantages that provide sufficient jobs and good incomes for their tribal members. On those reservations, the residents are able to afford a comfortable life with fewer social problems.
Some Indian reservations are strategically located near big cities in states that prohibit gambling. Astute tribal councils have used their unique sovereignty status to permit gambling on those reservations, and have built gambling casinos. These "Indian casinos" have provided good economic resources for the tribes and significant monetary benefits for all of their tribal members.
I have been on many Indian reservations throughout the USA, and each has offered a different experience.
In New York and California, I visited Indian Casinos. I met Native Americans in those casinos, but most of them were dealing cards at the blackjack tables or were mixing drinks at the bars. I did not find much opportunity to experience Native American culture in the casinos.
In Florida and Washington, I visited tribal cultural centers that the governing councils had erected on their reservations. Each offered many exhibits depicting the history and the cultural heritage of the local tribe. I got the chance to meet a few members of the tribe. They were the museum guides and the staff of the cultural center. The interaction was brief and somewhat formal.
In New Mexico, I visited the Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. It offered a great museum depicting the history and cultural heritage of the various tribes in that state. It also offered traditional dance exhibitions, traditional foods prepared by Native American cooks, demonstrations of tribal crafts and a market for Indian made merchandise. I was very favorably impressed by that experience. I got to meet and speak with Native American craftsmen, musicians, dancers, storytellers and tribal representatives.
Two of the pueblos, or ancient adobe towns, that are preserved on Indian reservations in New Mexico are open to the public and tourists are welcome. Some of the pueblos, on reservations in New Mexico, restrict the entry of uninvited guests. Acoma, or "Sky Pueblo" is located atop a high butte, and has been preserved like an archeological site, but it is still inhabited by Indians of the Pueblo tribe. They welcome tourists and provide guided tours of their home in the sky.