Indigenous Governance Database
Conferences, Seminars & Symposia
Constitutions and Constitutional Reform - Day 2 (Q&A)
Presenters from the second day of NNI's "Tribal Constitutions" seminar gather to field questions from seminar participants on a variety of topics ranging from citizen education and engagement to the role off-reservation citizens can and should play in a Native nation's present and future.
Honoring Nations: Mary Jo Bane: Preventive Health in Brazil
Harvard professor Mary Jo Bane frames the session "Building Great Programs in a Political Setting" with an intriguing case study of a preventive health care initiative in Brazil, illustrating that effective program management can be achieved even in a highly political governance environment.
Honoring Nations: Ana Marie Argilagos: Family Strengthening in Indian Country
Ana Marie Argilagos provides a basic overview of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's mission and discusses a report detailing what family strengthening involves in Native communities.
Angela Wesley: A "Made in Huu-ay-aht" Constitution
Angela Wesley, Chair of the Huu-ay-aht Constitution Committee, discusses the process that the Huu-ay-Aht First Nations followed in developing their own constitution and system of government. She describes how Huu-ay-aht's new governance system is fundamentally different from their old Indian Act…
Honoring Nations: Lenny Foster: Navajo Nation Corrections Project
Program Supervisor Lenny Foster with the Navajo Nations Corrections Projects discusses how and why the project was created, and it how it is advocating on behalf of Native Americans prisoners across the country to ensure that their civil rights and religious freedom rights are respected.
Melissa Tatum: Striking a Balance on What to Include in Your Constitution (Presentation Highlight)
In this highlight from the presentation "Key Things a Constitution Should Address: 'How Do We Resolve Disputes?'," legal scholar Melissa Tatum discusses the importance of a Native nation striking a balance between what to include in its constitution and what not to include in its constitution so…
Honoring Nations: Oren Lyons: Governing Our Way to a Brighter Future
Onondaga Chief and Faithkeeper Oren Lyons shares his perspective on why governance matters to the sovereignty and long-term prosperity of Indigenous peoples, and stresses the importance of adhering to the long-taught instructions that have ensured the survival of those peoples to this day.
Honoring Nations: Myron Brown: Akimel O'odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council
Former President Myron Brown discusses how the Akimel O'odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council is an example of building a great program in a political setting, and shares how Gila River youth are having their political voice heard through this innovative leadership development mechanism.
Honoring Nations: Gregory Mendoza: Akimel O'odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council
Gila River Indian Community Governor Gregory Mendoza, formerly the director of the Akimel O'odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council, provides a history of this trend-setting example of innovative governance and discusses the many different ways that it strengthens the Gila River Indian Community.
Anthony Hill and Angela Wesley: The Process of Constitutional Reform: The Challenge of Citizen Engagement (Q&A)
Presenters Anthony Hill and Angela Wesley field questions from the audience about the approaches their nations took to constitutional reform.
Honoring Nations: Lori Gutierrez: Using Culture as a Resource: Poeh Center
Lori Gutierrez shares Pojoaque Pueblo's journey of cultural preservation and revitalization, and its keys to using culture as a resource in the establishment of the Poeh Cultural Center and Museum.
Honoring Nations: John McCoy: Intergovernmental Relations
John McCoy of the Tulalip Tribes offers advice to session participants about how to communicate tribal priorities in the intergovernmental law and policy arenas.
Honoring Nations: Manley Begay: So You Have a Great Program...Now What?!
"Forward-thinking" is often used to describe innovative programs. In remarks designed to frame the symposium session "So You Have a Great Program...Now What?!", Manley A. Begay, Jr. talks about strategic orientation, planning, and implementation as critical to sustaining the success of tribal…
Honoring Nations: Robert Yazzie: The Navajo Nation Judicial Branch
Chief Justice Emeritus Robert Yazzie of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court talks about the Navajo Nation Judicial Branch's application of Navajo common law in its jurisprudence as an example of the importance of Indigenous cultural values and common law into the governance systems of Native nations.
Honoring Nations: Anthony Pico: Building On the Success of Nation-Owned Enterprises
Anthony Pico, the longtime chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, discusses the larger purposes of economic development for Native nations, why it is important for nations leverage their gaming successes via the cultivation of other nation-owned enterprises and citizen-owned businesses,…
Honoring Nations: Cedric Kuwaninvaya: The Hopi Land Team
Former Chairman of the Hopi Land Team Cedric Kuwaninvaya presents an overview of the tribal subcommittee's work to the Honoring Nations Board of Governors in conjunction with the 2005 Honoring Nations Awards.
Honoring Nations: Jon Cooley: Building Capable Institutions of Self-Governance: White Mountain Apache Wildlife and Recreation Program
Jon Cooley, former director of the White Mountain Apache Tribe's Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation division, discusses how their program went about building capable institutions of self-governance in order to manage the Tribe's natural resources -- specifically wildlife -- in a sustainable manner.
Honoring Nations: Aaron Miles: Idaho Gray Wolf Recovery Program
Aaron Miles, Natural Resource Manager for the Nez Perce Tribe, shares the progress of the Idaho Gray Wolf Recovery Program and talks about how the program hopefully will begin to seed a change in the mindset among those human beings who share the wolves' environment.
Honoring Nations: Dusty Delso: Cherokee Language Revitalization Project
Dusty Delso presents an overview of the Cherokee Language Revitalization Project to the Honoring Nations Board of Governors in conjunction with the 2005 Honoring Nations Awards.
Honoring Nations: Stephen Cornell: Achieving Good Governance: Lessons from the Harvard Project & Honoring Nations
Co-director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Stephen Cornell offers a review of how the Honoring Nations program evolved out of the nation-building movement and successes among Native nations.