Indigenous Governance Database
commercial codes
Model Tribal Secured Transactions Act
The Model Tribal Secured Transactions Act (MTSTA) is based on the Uniform Commercial Code's (UCC) Article 9 and provides a legal framework for promotion of private business via secured transactions. A secured transaction occurs when a loan is issued and personal property, not real estate, is used…
Implementation Guide and Commentary to the Model Tribal Secured Transactions Act
This Implementation Guide and Commentary to the Model Tribal Secured Transactions Act (hereinafter “Act” or “MTA”) drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (“NCCUSL”) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis was developed for three purposes: (1) to assist tribal…
Frank Ettawageshik: Exercising Sovereignty: The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Frank Ettawageshik, former chairman of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBO), discusses how LTBBO has systematically built its legal infrastructure in order to fully and capably exercise the nation's sovereignty and achieve its nation-building goals. He discusses some of the…
Joseph P. Kalt: The Practical Issues of Business Development - Some Things to Consider: Legal Structure
Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Co-Director Joseph P. Kalt discusses the types of corporations that Native nations can charter and what they should consider when deciding which type to choose.
No Tribes Left Behind: A Smarter Plan for Economic Development
Many Americans have never been to a Native American reservation. They’re often geographically isolated and underdeveloped, perpetually left off the various lists of tourism destinations. With sparse and scattered populations, tribal governments have faced many obstacles in exploring economic…