Our Nations had/have inherent sovereignty. They have their own laws, form of governance and often made international agreements with the Newcomers (a term we use instead of colonists, explorers, or settlers.)
‘Tribes’ are usually not viewed as states. Federally recognized ‘tribes’ are those that are recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. Government-to-government is different than nation-to-nation.
