BS. *I'm* a native American as much as anyone else - I was *born here*. Bag the PC crap.
Biker
Yeah, I have a bit of Indian blood as my Great-Great-Granddad married a young woman of the Sioux Nation. A cup of coffee costs me the same regardless of the fact I say Indian or Native American. But, then again, my surname would seem to indicate I'm mostly Italian and I'm not. But, it doesn't offend me when people say I am. But, for the most part, I guess I was born into a generation that had thicker skin.
As to the original post, it does depend on the reservation laws. Now, I’m not a legal expert, but I find calling the source works best. I did a large loop through AZ and NM a few years back. We stayed in one reservation in AZ. I called ahead on that visit and they didn't have a problem with me having a handgun [in the car]. I did leave it unloaded in a box in the trunk for the two days we were there per their request.
The rest of the time we were just driving through various reservations and I just carried as I normally would. In AZ, you pretty much have to drive through a reservation when going from one side of the state to the other, particularly in the northeast corner of the state. Prior to my visit, I called the AZ Highway Patrol. I was pretty much told if I could legally carry in the state, go ahead and just follow the state law. The officer I spoke to may or may not have been right, but I encountered no problems. (Interestingly enough, we spend two days at the Grand Canyon which is a federal park and I thought guns were prohibited, and I called ahead on that visit. The Park Police told me I could transport it in; just don't carry while out-and-about in the park.)
So... I usually follow that advice when I have a question about possession in a certain place. I just call ahead and ask. It won’t necessary stop me from getting in trouble, but it gives me a way to articulate why I am doing it.
PS- always write down the name of the person you talked to. This isn't the perfect way to do it, but it at least makes some sense. The other way is to just not carry.