Indigenous Governance Database
Honoring Nations Reports
San Carlos Apache Elders Cultural Advisory Council
The Elders Cultural Advisory Council was formed by a resolution of the San Carlos Tribal Council in 1993 to advise on culturally related matters, to consult with off-reservation entities, and to administer and oversee cultural preservation activities. As a source of traditional wisdom, the Elders…
Choctaw Community Injury Prevention Program
Responding to alarming rates of preventable accidents on its reservation, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw created a comprehensive community injury prevention program in 2001. Through seat belt and child safety seat campaigns, strict enforcement of motor vehicle laws, and community-wide education…
Navajo Studies Department
Created in 1966 as the first contract school in the country, Rough Rock is a Navajo-run institution that combines traditional Navajo learning with Western education. Its Navajo Studies curriculum, which addresses such subjects as culture, history, and language, was named by the Tribal Council as…
Navajo Nation Sales Tax
Challenges facing sovereign nations include how to support themselves financially, run their governments, and meet the needs of their peoples. In 1974, the Navajo Nation established a Navajo Tax Commission. Following a US Supreme Court decision affirming the Nation’s right to impose taxes, the…
Archie Hendricks, Sr. Skilled Nursing Facility and Tohono O'odham Hospice
For decades Tohono O’odham elders in need of skilled nursing had to move far away from family and friends to receive care, or stay home and forgo long-term care services. However, with the opening of the Archie Hendricks, Sr. Skilled Nursing Facility, O’odham elders can now remain in the community…
Cherokee Language Revitalization Project
In 2002, the Cherokee Nation carried out a survey of its population and found no fluent Cherokee speakers under the age of 40. The Cherokee Principal Chief declared a "state of emergency," and the Nation acted accordingly. With great focus and determination, it launched a multi-faceted initiative…
Borrego Springs Bank of the Viejas Band
The first American Indian-owned bank in California, the Borrego Springs Bank (BSB) offers a full range of services to tribal governments and Native-owned businesses in order to facilitate the entrepreneurial growth of American Indian tribes. With more than $74 million in assets and two full service…
Cherokee Nation History Course
Launched in 2000, the Cherokee Nation History Course is a free, 40-hour, college-level study offered to 1,800 tribal employees and members of Cherokee communities. Through lectures, discussions, case exercises, and role-playing, the course teaches Cherokee history, culture, and government to both…
Gila River Law Enforcement Program
Serving a population of 17,000, the 92-employee Gila River Police Department operates a multifaceted law enforcement program that includes community-based policing, neighborhood block watch programs, a citizen’s police academy, and bike patrols. Since assuming control over law enforcement in 1998,…
ONABEN: A Native American Business and Entrepreneurial Network
Founded by a consortium of Native nations in the Pacific Northwest, ONABEN's mission is to increase self-reliance by promoting the development of tribal-citizen-owned small businesses and the diversification of reservation economies. ONABEN's programs provide financial counseling, business…
Bad River Recycling/Solid Waste Department
The Bad River Recycling/Solid Waste Department created environmentally sound practices of managing and disposing of waste generated on the reservation, ending cycles of harm to tribal citizens, lands, and water. Historically, waste was not only hazardous, but noticeable and abundant on reservation…
Cherokee National Youth Choir
The Youth Choir presents an innovative approach to promoting and encouraging the use of the endangered Cherokee language among its youth while also instilling Cherokee cultural pride. The award-winning choir — comprised of 40 young Cherokee ambassadors — has performed in venues across the US,…