>But if you go back far enough, most of today's countries were the result of conquering other neighbourhood tribes.

That's my point. The fact that the US and Canada (in fact, most larger countries in both American hemispheres) were founded in that fashion does not make them empires.

>As regards secession by natives, the Inuit of Quebec had a chance back at the last referendum. They had their own and chose Canada.
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>And in the States it seems they don't really 'need' to secede. I read that the U.S. government itself has been working on storing spent nuclear materials on a reservation, the basis being that as sovereign territory the laws of the U.S. regarding nuclear materials do not apply. Imagine!

Are you talking about Yucca Mountain? I don't think that's on a reservation.

Not being an expert in Indian affairs, I do know that recognized reservations have different tax statuses - they can operate casinos and sell cigarettes with limited interferance by the Feds. But I don't think they have the right to secede. Only Texas has that ability. Because it was a formal country beforehand, the right to secede was part of the original Texas state constitution, and I believe that carried over when it was rewritten after the Civil War. Occasionally a secession movement surfaces here, usually when the Democrats control Congress ;)