How did the Dawes act challenge Native American authority

Responsible for enacting the division of the tribal reservations into plots of land for individual households, the Dawes Act was created by reformers to achieve six goals: ... securing parts of the reservations as Indian land, and. opening the remainder of the land to white settlers for profit.

The Dawes Act of 1887 also known as the allotment act allowed the president to survey Native land and divide it into allotments for individuals Native Americans. Those who lived separately from the ethnic group would be eligible for citizenship. This act undermined Native American access to land and destroyed the tribal unit.