A small group of Indians known as the Honey Lake Maidus are very much alive today in the valley of the Susan River of northeast California. As a tribe, however, they do not exist. This is because they have not been "acknowledged," a process by which the federal government officially recognizes Indian tribes.

By contrast, other California Indian tribes have won federal recognition and come to represent a driving force behind most Indian legislation, including laws to regulate Indian casinos. Their political power and economic prosperity, however, has incurred resentment. Caught in this...