Understanding the historic and current social and political context in which tribes and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities function will assist the researcher in communicating with and building strong relationships in AIAN country. A review is provided of the historic relations between American Indians and Alaska Natives and the US government as well as demographic information, key definitions, policies relevant to public health, and the research concerns of racial underreporting and misclassification specific to American Indians and Alaska Natives.