Tribal lands part of the U.S. ?

Question

Do Native American reserves/tribal lands inside the U.S. count as part of the U.S. or are they separate? I would appreciate some proof like a website but an answer from experience is fine.

Answer 1

Independent entities, but still part of the U.S. and state.

Only "proof" I can think of online would be this, a page from a website dedicated to license plates:  http://www.worldlicenceplates.com/usa/AI...

Note that the majority of tribe license plates also have the state name. And some that are used still have the U.S. DMV sticker.

Answer 2

Part of the US much like States.

There are 561 federally recognized tribal governments in the United States. These tribes possess the right to form their own government, to enforce laws (both civil and criminal), to tax, to establish requirements for membership, to license and regulate activities, to zone and to exclude persons from tribal territories. Limitations on tribal powers of self-government include the same limitations applicable to states; for example, neither tribes nor states have the power to make war, engage in foreign relations, or coin money (this includes paper currency).