capacity building

Navigating VAWA's New Tribal Court Jurisdictional Provision

Year

President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a federal statute that addresses domestic violence and other crimes against women. As initially conceived in 1994, VAWA created new federal crimes and sanctions to fill in gaps, provided training for federal, state and local law enforcement and courts to address such crimes, and funded a wide array of community services aimed to protect and support victims. In a historic move, this new version of VAWA recognizes and affirms that tribal courts have jurisdiction over criminal cases brought by tribes against non-members–including non-Indians–that arise under VAWA. This is the first time since the Supreme Court’s 1978 decision in Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe, 435 U.S. 191 (1978), that Congress has recognized and affirmed tribal courts’ criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians...

Resource Type
Citation

King, Winter and Sara Clark. "Navigating VAWA's New Tribal Court Jurisdictional Provision." Indian Country Today Media Network. March 31, 2013. Article. (https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/opinions/navigating-vawas-new-tribal..., accessed April 1, 2013)

Training Program Grooms Tribal Member To Succeed Pascua Yaqui Casino Del Sol CEO

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Year

Seven years ago, 30-year gaming veteran Wendell Long (Choctaw) assumed the helm at Pascua Yaqui Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona as its chief executive officer. At the time, only about half of the staff was comprised of tribal members. “We implemented a management succession program to increase that rate to 80 percent and we’ve been successful in this goal–[and] in some departments, dramatically exceeding it,” Long said. Of the casino's 300 Spa & Conference Center employees, 87 percent are tribal members. The casino's food and beverage operation started with one tribal supervisor–now there are 14 in management positions...

Native Nations
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Citation

Allen, Lee. "Training Program Grooms Tribal Member To Succeed Pascua Yaqui Casino Del Sol CEO." Indian Country Today Media Network. December 27, 2012. Article. (https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/business/training-program..., accessed January 11, 2013)

Native Nation Rebuilders Speak

Producer
Bush Foundation
Year

Participants in the Bush Foundation's Native Nation Rebuilders Program offer their personal perspectives on nation building and share their experiences in the program.

Citation

Bush Foundation. "Native Nation Rebuilders Speak." Bush Foundation. Saint Paul, Minnesota. April 3, 2013. Film. (https://vimeo.com/63277472, accessed April 19, 2013)

Planting the Seeds...for Our Children's Future: The Hopi Education Endowment Fund

Producer
Hopi Education Endowment Fund
Year

This seven-minute video presents the founding, development, and current work of the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF), which won an Honoring Nations award (High Honors) from the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development in 2006. The video chronicles HEEF's work in support of its mission of "cultivating and nurturing the future of our Hopi people through education by growing and safeguarding a perpetual source of funding."

Topics
Citation

Tenakhonga, Sam. "Planting the Seeds...For Our Children's Future." Hopi Education Endowment Fund. Kykotsmovi, Arizona. 2009. TV, Radio, and Film. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb7PDOUo0UY, accessed August 21, 2012)

Higher Education & Workforce Development: Leveraging Tribal Investments to Advance Community Goals

Year

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Policy Research Center's 2010 Tribal Research Priorities Survey reported that education and economic development are top research priorities for tribes. Respondents noted their interest in research and resources regarding how to: (1) create jobs and training opportunities for tribal citizens and (2) motivate youth to pursue higher education and contribute their knowledge and skills to the community.

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Topics
Citation

National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center. "Higher Education & Workforce Development: Leveraging Tribal Investments to Advance Community Goals." National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center. Washington, D.C. Summer 2012. Paper. (http://www.ncai.org/attachments/PolicyPaper_UfoQxzYBWUMTyWwTrqNjXyjiEvbo..., accessed May 23, 2023)

The Strategic Power of Data: A Key Aspect of Sovereignty

Year

The lack of good data about U.S. American Indian and Alaska Native populations hinders tribes’ development activities, but it also highlights a space for sovereign action. In coming years, tribes will no doubt continue to advocate for better national data and at the same time increasingly implement their own “data agendas” by gathering high quality, culturally relevant information about their communities. With more meaningful data, tribal policymakers can make informed decisions about which policies and programs are right for the task at hand. Strategic data planning empowers tribes to tell their communities’ stories through their own data, and not that of others.

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Citation

Schultz, Jennifer Lee, and Stephanie Carroll Rainie. The Strategic Power of Data: A Key Aspect of Sovereignty. The International Indigenous Policy Journal. Vol 5, Issue 4. October 2014. Paper. (http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1222&context=iipj, accessed November 12, 2014)

Forwarding First Nation Goals Through Enterprise Ownership: The Mikisew Group Of Companies

Year

The Mikisew Group of Companies (Mikisew Group) is the business arm of the Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN). Founded in 1991 using monies from a $26.6 million land claim settlement with the governments of Alberta and Canada, it has achieved remarkable success. This success is evident in the wide arra y of business practice awards the group and its constituent companies have received, including Client of the Year (2008, Mikisew Group), Alberta Business Award of Distinction Eagle Feather finalist (2010, Mikisew Group), Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board Aboriginal Employer of the Year (2011, Mikis ew Fleet Man a gement), Pacrim Hospitality Company of the Year (2008, Super 8 Fort McMurray), Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association Housekeeping Award (2012, Super 8 Fort McMurray), and the Fort McMurray Tourism Ambassador of the Year (2009, Tim Gilles, general manager, Mikisew Sport Fishing).

But the Mikisew Group is not just a business. It is part of the MCFN’s overall strategy for increasing self-sufficiency and self-determination. Its success in these terms is evident in the substantial revenue it generates for MCFN, the jobs and careers it provides for the nation ’s citizens, and its ability to promote MCFN voice in decisions that affect the nation’s Aboriginal territory. This case study, part of a larger conversation about Aboriginal business achievement, explores the decisions and practices that have contributed to the Mikisew Group’s success.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Jorgensen, Miriam and Rachel Starks. Forwarding First Nation Goals Through Enterprise Ownership: The Mikisew Group Of Companies. Prepared for the Indigenous Leadership and Management Program, The Banff Centre. Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy. The University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. April 2014. Case Study. (http://nni.arizona.edu/application/files/2314/6179/0332/2014-4_mikisew_case_study.pdf, accessed April 17, 2014)

Creating a Climate of Support for Aboriginal Entrepreneurs

Author
Year

Three First Nations communities formed a partnership with SFU to investigate ways to create a supportive environment for Aboriginal entrepreneurs. This project followed the Western Diversification/Simon Fraser University study (2001) on the information and service needs of Aboriginal entrepreneurs. That study indicated there were many obstacles put in the way of Aboriginal entrepreneurs, and many of those obstacles to business start-up and success were found in their own communities.  

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Citation

McBride, John. "Creating a Climate of Support for Aboriginal Entrepreneurs." Community Economic Development Centre. Simon Fraser University. Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. February 2002. Paper. (https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/frbc2002/frbc2002mr41.pdf, accessed March 29, 2023)

Journey to Economic Independence: B.C. First Nations' Perspectives

Author
Year

There are two approaches to economic development being pursued by the participant First Nations. One is creation of an economy through support for local entrepreneurs and the development of their individual enterprises (i.e. Westbank First Nation). The other is creation of an economy through development of First Nation community-owned and operated business enterprises that, in turn, provide for the training and capacity building of individual First Nation members (i.e. Osoyoos Indian Band)...

Resource Type
Citation

Williams, Ted. "Journey to Economic Independence: B.C. First Nations’ Perspectives." First Nations Economic Development Project. This report is the result of a collaboration between the First Nations Leadership Council and the Ministry of Economic Development. West Vancouver, BC. February 2008. Paper. 

Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship: Success Factors and Challenges

Year

Aboriginal people (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) and their communities in the north face many obstacles and challenges. There are, however, tremendous opportunities to promote and enhance Aboriginal participation in the economy. Aboriginal youth entrepreneurs are key to building a healthy economy both on and off reserves.

The economic landscape for Aboriginal Canadians has changed considerably in the last two decades. The Canadian economy has expanded rapidly, outstripping the supply of skilled labour in many fields and pushing development farther into every region of the country. This economic evolution presents real opportunities on a broad scale for Aboriginal Canadians especially given that between 2001 and 2026, more than 600,000 Aboriginal youth will have come of age to enter the labour market, including more than 100,000 in each of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2008)...

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

The Aboriginal Economy Working Group. "Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship: Success Factors and Challenges." Northern Development MInisters Forum. Thunder Bay, Ontario. 2010. Paper. (http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Programs/Chnook/Students/~/media..., accessed August 27, 2013)