Indigenous Governance
Database
Honoring Nations Reports
Chickasaw Nation's Chuka Chukmasi Home Loan Program
Created in 1998 to increase home ownership among Chickasaw citizens and other Native Americans in Oklahoma, the Chuka Chukmasi ("beautiful home") Home Loan Program is a secondary market home loan program that has helped more than 200 families realize the dream of home ownership. Collaborating with…
Puyallup's Institutionalized Quality Improvement Program
Following a major tribally-initiated restructuring in the early 1980s that created a quality improvement committee and a flatter organizational structure, the PTHA has increased patient access for urgent care visits, reduced "no show" rates, created clinical objectives, increased dental treatments…
Morongo Tutoring Program
The Morongo Tutoring Program is one of the reasons the high school graduation rate of Morongo students is now at approximately ninety percent, the highest in tribal history. By providing much more than tutoring services, including life skills for early childhood through high school development;…
Navajo Nation Judicial Branch: New Law and Old Law Together
The Judicial Branch of the Navajo Nation seeks to revive and strengthen traditional common law while ensuring the efficacy of the Nation’s western-based court model adopted by the Nation. With over 250 Peacemakers among its seven court districts, the Judicial Branch utilizes traditional methods of…
Grand Traverse Band's Land Claims Distribution Trust Fund
After 26 years of negotiation with the US government over how monies from a land claims settlement would be distributed, the Band assumed financial control over the settlement by creating a Trust Fund system that provides annual payments in perpetuity to Band elders for supplementing their social…
Migizi Business Camp (Little River Band)
In 1994, after 120 years of struggle, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians finally re-obtained federal recognition. Ever since, tribal priorities included strengthening self-governance and the tribal economy. Their economic strategy followed two paths: the development of tribal enterprises and…
The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations
Owned by a consortium of seven tribes, the Healing Lodge is a treatment center that helps Native American youth and their families heal from the trauma of alcohol and drug abuse. With a focus on blending culture and spirituality with mental health/chemical dependency treatment, services include in-…
Hopi Education Endowment Fund
In a pursuit to ensure growth, protect assets, and meet the present and future educational needs of the Hopi Tribe, an ordinance establishing the Hopi Education Endowment Fund was approved. Taking advantage of IRS Code Section 7871 allows for tax deductible contributions made to the Tribe to…
Choctaw Health Center
After transferring all health care decisions from Indian Health Services to tribal control over a ten-year period, the Band significantly improved its health care delivery system. Its state-of-the-art Health Center provides health and dental care, behavioral health care and community health…
Navajo Methamphetamine Task Force
Taking a proactive stance on policy issues, options, and recommendations in the areas of prevention, treatment, and/or enforcement, the Methamphetamine Task Forces actively combat a tidal wave of destruction within their communities. Drawing upon education, community involvement, cultural…
Akwesasne Freedom School
In 1979, the Akwesasne Freedom School took form out of the Mohawk struggle for self-determination and self-government. It is characterized by a deep commitment to the maintenance of Mohawk identity. Students in this pre-kindergarten through 8th grade language immersion school begin and end each…
Umatilla Cultural Resources Protection Program
Frustrated by how tribal cultural resources were managed on tribal, federal, state, and private lands, the Tribes developed their own cultural resources protection program. The 15-year-old program is a leader in educating non-Indian agencies about pertinent laws and treaties, strengthening cultural…
Idaho Gray Wolf Recovery Program (Nez Perce)
By developing a plan that includes monitoring, outreach, species management/control, and research, the Tribe is now leading the statewide recovery of the endangered Gray Wolf. The recovery program, which meets the guidelines developed by the US Fish and Wildlife Services, has resulted in a wolf…
Hopi Child Care Program
The Hopi Child Care Program assists families in accessing quality care for children of parents pursuing education and those with work demands that keep them away from home. Understanding the importance of early childhood development coupled with the need for culturally appropriate care, Hopi…
Gila River Telecommunications, Inc.
Recognizing the need for affordable and reliable telecommunications services, the Tribe founded Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. (GRTI) in 1988. A pioneer in telecommunications in Indian Country, GRTI offers affordable landline phone service, dial-up and DSL Internet service, and satellite…
Makah Cultural Education and Revitalization Program
The Cultural Education and Revitalization Program serves as the hub of the community and stewards of a world class museum collection. Keen efforts and awareness demonstrated by staff and community members make this Center unique. Programs are truly guided by the needs of the Nation and its citizens…
Flandreau Police Department
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe’s lands are situated within Moody County and the City of Flandreau, South Dakota. This location presents the Nation with a particular challenge: How do you provide adequate and culturally sensitive public safety and law enforcement for your citizens in mixed…
Navajo Nation Archaeology Department Training Programs
The Navajo Nation Archaeology Department was created in 1977 to facilitate historic preservation on Navajo Nation lands as mandated by both US and tribal government legislation. In 1988 and again in 1993, the Department expanded to include training programs, undertaken in partnership with Northern…
Muscogee Creek Nation Reintegration Program
Although the state of Oklahoma has one of the largest prison systems in the US, it provides released prisoners with little post-incarceration support. Many struggle to find their way on the "outside" and are eventually re-incarcerated. In the early 2000s, the Muscogee Creek Nation set out to tackle…
Choctaw Tribal Court System
Self-determination is the guiding principle behind all of the government initiatives undertaken by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. This nation has created a vibrant economy while investing resources into the preservation of Choctaw language and culture. At the heart of its success is its…