The Office of Indian Affairs was formed on March 11, 1824, by Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, who created the agency as a division within his department, without authorization from the United States Congress. Renamed the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 1947, it is currently responsible for the administration and management of 55,700,000 acres (225,000 km²) of land held in trust by the … Continue reading Chief Joseph and the BIA