Several parties have a stake in what happens to this girl: Her biological mother and father, the adoptive parents, the federal government, the Oklahoma-based tribe, and a legal guardian appointed by the state to represent the child's interests.

CNN: Supreme Court tackles Native American adoption dispute

He recalls that the Phipps deal was brought to the tribe by a shelter promoter, who presented legal opinions saying it would work.

FORBES: The Tribe and the Television Stations

Legal precedent for this was set in 1977, when the Mescalero Apache Tribe of New Mexico, seeking to replace dwindling timber harvesting revenues from their 185, 000-hectare reservation, began selling hunting licenses with terms more liberal than the state's.

FORBES: Magazine Article