Was the concept of religious freedom in the early United States applied to native American faiths?

Question

Did native religions come up at all when the United States was adopting religious freedom into its fundamental laws? Did America's Founding Fathers or their contemporaries consider Native Americans and their beliefs? For instance, was native religions mentioned during: * Government documents or statements * By delegates during the [Constitutional Convention](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Convention_(United_States)) in Philadelphia, or during ratification; * Federalist or Anti-Federalist campaigning materials, e.g. the [Federalist Papers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Papers) Note that I'm looking for the legal concept of freedom of religions *being actually applied* for Native American beliefs; not whether the concept *should have* applied.

Answer 1

Historically, the general attitude of the American government to Native Americans was that they were non-citizens. We see this even today, as Native American tribes, in a sense, still carry legal status of foreign countries. Because Native Americans were considered foreigners, they were outside of the American legal system. As such, first amendment rights would not have been applicable to Native Amerian religions.