David E. Wilkins, a citizen of the Lumbee Nation, is a political scientist specializing in federal Indian policy and law.
He studies Indigenous politics, governance, and legal systems, with a particular focus on Native American sovereignty, self-determination, and diplomacy.
[2] He engages in close textual interpretation of the reasoning that the US Supreme Court invoked in these cases, arguing that the rationale behind major decisions that have diminished the sovereignty of tribes has often been based on debunked racial tropes and inaccurate history.
[3] Wilkins argues that the US Supreme Court, because it takes as its starting point the US constitution, is ill-equipped to judge cases based on a pre-constitutional set of nation-to-nation agreements which are already premised on tribal sovereignty.
The book, which detailed historical context and contemporary issues regarding indigenous systems of governance within the United States,[6] was named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Reviews.
[1] With K. Tsianina Lomawaima, Wilkins coauthored Uneven Ground: American Indian Sovereignty and Federal Law in 2001.
The work contains pieces by artists, activists, and academics who critique Deloria’s wide-ranging intellectual and cultural legacy.
Wilkins' work has been included on lists of important reading for topics in indigenous legal studies,[10] and he has been described as an icon of Native American civil rights.