NNI and Harvard Project Research

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Flandreau Police Department

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…

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Akwesasne Freedom School

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…

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Choctaw Tribal Court System

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…

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Ak-Chin Community Council Task Force

Ak-Chin Community Council Task Force

Over the past few years, the citizens of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, located south of Phoenix, Arizona, have witnessed the land surrounding their reservation rapidly transform from fields into housing subdivisions. Worried about the impact on the reservation, the Ak-Chin Indian Community…

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Migizi Business Camp (Little River Band)

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…

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Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Charged with the overall management of its member tribes’ fisheries resources and advocating for the protection of treaty rights, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s (CRITFC) programs include fisheries enforcement, policy development and litigation support, fish marketing, and…

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Miccosukee Tribe Section 404 Permitting Program

Miccosukee Tribe Section 404 Permitting Program

The reservation lands of the Miccosukee Tribe lie largely within the Everglades National Park. Development on these lands is subject to elaborate regulations by a host of federal agencies that hindered development and other uses of their lands by the Miccosukee people, including the building of…

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Mississippi Choctaw Family Violence & Victim's Services

Mississippi Choctaw Family Violence & Victim's Services

Addressing the often-stigmatized issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and elder abuse, the Family Violence and Victim’s Services (FVVS) provides comprehensive resources for victims such as access to legal services, counseling, and therapy. In addition, FVVS drafted a strict tribal…

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Enhancing Government-to-Government Relationships (Grand Ronde)

Enhancing Government-to-Government Relationships (Grand Ronde)

The Intergovernmental Affairs Department has achieved positive intergovernmental relationships with federal, state, and local governments by pursuing a five-pronged strategy of communication, education, cooperation, contributions, and presence. Since the Department’s creation, the Tribe has raised…

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Umatilla Homeownership: Financial, Credit and Consumer Protection Program

Umatilla Homeownership: Financial, Credit and Consumer Protection Program

Recognizing the necessary links between promoting a strong economy, maintaining positive cultural connections, and the ability to own a home, the Umatilla Housing Authority promotes the "Wapayatat" Homeownership: Financial, Credit and Consumer Protection Program. The seven-week course provides…

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Navajo Methamphetamine Task Force

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…

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The Chippewa Flowage Joint Agency Management Plan

The Chippewa Flowage Joint Agency Management Plan

The Joint Agency Management Plan brings together three governments — the Lac Courte Oreilles Band, the State of Wisconsin, and the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service — to co-manage the Chippewa Flowage, a 15,300-acre reservoir created in 1923 that inundated a tribal village. Taking into…

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Muscogee Creek Nation Reintegration Program

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…

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Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Serving tribes in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) was created in 1972 to increase tribes’ ability to exercise control over the design and development of tribal health care delivery systems. Governed by tribal government delegates, NPAIHB…

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Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse

Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse

Officially sanctioned by the Grand Council of Chiefs to represent the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) in international lacrosse competition, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team represents a sovereign nation in world competition. The team — which has won numerous medals and awards — has successfully…

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San Carlos Apache Elders Cultural Advisory Council

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…

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Navajo Treatment Center for Children and Their Family

Navajo Treatment Center for Children and Their Family

Responding to high rates of child abuse and neglect, the Navajo Child Special Advocacy Project was launched in 1990 to provide Western and Navajo therapy to victims of sexual abuse between the ages of 3 and 17. With five offices on the Reservation, the project administers Navajo diagnosis,…

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Akimel O'odham Pee-Posh Youth Council

Akimel O'odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council

Recognizing that their youth possess critical insight on a full range of governing issues, tribal leaders chartered the Akimel O’odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council in 1988 to give youth a formal voice within the tribal government. The Council is comprised of 20 youth between the ages of 14-21, who are…

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Choctaw Community Injury Prevention Program

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…

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Navajo Nation Archaeology Department Training Programs

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…