 Menominee Tribe v. United States is a landmark case in Native American law , primarily in the area of reserved tribal rights . It has been used in college courses to explain tribal sovereignty rights , and that tribes retain some rights even if the tribe has been terminated — as the Menominee tribe was . The decision in the case has affected subsequent legislation , such as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act , in which Congress expressly extinguished all aboriginal rights . The case has been discussed internationally , for example in Australia regarding the relevance of indigenous or aboriginal title . 
