The history of northeastern tribes differs substantially from that of other tribes, as northeastern tribes have experienced a longer length of contact with settlers and more intermarriage with non-Indians, producing tribal members of various ethnic backgrounds. American Indians can be considered "bicultural" because they must adapt to two cultures: their Native (tribal) culture and the white, mainstream (nontribal) culture. The purpose of this study is to achieve an understanding of the bicultural (tribal and nontribal) ethnic identity of northeastern tribal adolescents, highlighting their unique history and experience. The present study examined a northeastern tribe's adolescents (aged thirteen to seventeen) (a) bicultural ethnic identity by utilizing aspects of Phinney's MEIM and Moran et al.'s bicultural ethnic identity scale, (b) self-esteem, utilizing Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Inventory, (c) participation in tribal and nontribal activities, and (d) responses to open-ended questions. A series of supplemental analysis were run to observe the data more closely. The analyses show that there are differences between participants in the tribal state and those out of state but not when participants are divided into northeastern states and other states. Furthermore, no correlations were found between bicultural identity (tribal and nontribal scales combined) and self-esteem. Findings has demonstrated that a greater sense of ethnic identity relates to higher self-esteem, purpose in life, and self-confidence. Directions for future research are highlighted. (Contains 2 tables and 53 notes.)