Land Titles and Dispossession: Allotment on American Indian Reservations

Abstract

The Nelson Act of 1889 established the allotment of American Indian lands for American Indians in Minnesota; subsequent changes allowed land to be sold to non-Indians. Allotment was intended to provide private land ownership for American Indians during this period where none had previously existed on reservation lands. This dramatic shift in land tenure occurred throughout the USA for many reservations. In this analysis, I examine two different Minnesota reservations over time: one that was allotted and another that was not allotted. I find a dramatic reduction in home ownership and an increase in household size for households that were treated to the land-titling program as compared to those households that were not treated. I also document a noticeable effect on wage sector employment; there is a large movement from self-employment in farming to the wage sector.