Examines environmental conflicts between mining companies and indigenous communities and offers a comparative study of the factors leading to those conflicts. Ali presents four cases from the United States and Canada that exemplify different historical relationships with government and industry and provide an instance of high and low levels of Native resistance in each country. Through these cases, Ali analyzes why and under what circumstances tribes agree to negotiated mining agreements on their lands, and why some negotiations are successful and others not.

“It is refreshing to find a strong work grounded in social science theory that is also engaging for casual readers.” —Montana, the Magazine of Western History

“An important contribution to our understanding of the factors influencing decision making among these groups in both nations.” —Ken Pepion, Harvard University Native American Studies Program