Complicated cultural and geographic hurdles continue to stymie growth, says Forrest Cuch, Utah's top official over Native American issues.

And the transition to what Indian experts call "self-determination" also requires a philosophic change in tribes' reliance on the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.

It's a good move, says Jonathan Taylor, an economic consultant who worked for the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

"There's good empirical evidence that shows when a tribe takes over from the federal government, the performance of the tribe's government and economy increases."

Across the country, tribes have famously turned to casino operations.

Under federal law, tribes are allowed to host legalized gambling if their home state allows any semblance of the practice.

But in Utah, where the public, the Legislature and the powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are against gambling, that door is firmly closed.

So, without the money-making promise of gambling, Utah tribes have become creative.

They have started businesses that translate top-secret federal documents and that provide technology support for the U.S. Air Force. They have ventured into the real estate business, flipping commercial property and building housing and tourist and shopping sites.

They own grocery stores and gas stations. Children on the Navajo Reservation have even formed a chocolate company.

Still, their primary economic efforts lie in the tribes' abilities to capitalize on their natural resources.

"I'm an investment banker. I go in and make money and I leave."

— John Jurrius, financial adviser to the Ute Tribe

In the case of the Utes, the oil and gas was always there, buried beneath the scrappy landscape of eastern Utah. Like many tribes throughout the country, the Utes' wealth is in its land and resources, but for years the value had been squandered by inattention and bad business deals.

Jurrius — bolstered by the tribe's new economic development philosophy — has changed all that.

Projects in the works today will make the tribe the third- or fourth-largest oil producer in the Uintah Basin. And that means more college scholarships for tribal members and more pensions for elders.

With his Cadillac Escalade and confident personality, Jurrius makes no apologies about his salary.

"Do I make a lot of money?" Jurrius asks. "Sure. If they win, I make millions."

This is the boldest — and most lucrative — example of a local tribe taking charge of its future.