What was a direct consequence of the Dawes Act on Native American land ownership?

The Dawes Act, enacted in 1887, aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by redistributing tribal lands into individual plots. This legislation had a direct consequence of transferring land to individual Native Americans, as each tribal member was allotted a specific amount of land for personal use. The intent was to encourage farming and individual land ownership, which aligned with the prevailing belief that Native Americans would abandon their communal lifestyles and integrate into Euro-American culture.

While the act sought to break up tribal landholdings, it also had the effect of significantly reducing the overall land held by Native Americans, as surplus lands deemed "excess" were sold to non-Native settlers. As a result, many Native Americans lost their communal land and were forced into a new ownership structure that undermined traditional tribal governments and social systems.