federal recognition

Image
Breaching Barriers: The Fight for Indigenous Participation in Water Governance

Breaching Barriers: The Fight for Indigenous Participation in Water Governance

Indigenous peoples worldwide face barriers to participation in water governance, which includes planning and permitting of infrastructure that may affect water in their territories. In the United States, the extent to which Indigenous voices are heard—let alone incorporated into decision-making—…

Thumbnail

Rudy Ortega, Jr.: Asserting Sovereignty and Self-Governance

Rudy Ortega, Jr., then Vice President and citizen of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, shares his experiences leading his community and engaging in Fernandeño Tataviam self-governance in spite of his nation not yet being a state or federally recognized tribal…

Thumbnail

Sarah Deer: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation's Approach to Citizenship

Sarah Deer (Muscogee), Co-Director of the Indian Law Program at the William Mitchell College of Law, provides a brief overview of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's unique approach to defining its citizenship criteria, which essentially creates two classes of citizens: those who run for elected office,…

Thumbnail

Rebuilding the Tigua Nation

The Tigua Indians of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in Ysleta, Texas produced this 16-minute film in 2013 to demonstrate how a Native American tribe can work hard with business skills and tribal customs to shape a prosperous future through education for all levels of the Tigua Nation.

Thumbnail

Robert Hershey: Dispelling Stereotypes about the Federal Government's Role in Native Nation Constitutional Reform

Robert Hershey, Professor of Law and American Indian Studies at The University of Arizona, dispels some longstanding stereotypes about what the federal government can and will do should a Native nation decide to amend its constitution to remove the Secretary of Interior approval clause or else make…

Thumbnail

Robert Hershey and Andrew Martinez: The Legal Process of Constitutional Reform (Q&A)

Robert Hershey and Andrew Martinez engage participants in a lively discussion about the intricacies of secretarial elections and whether and how Native nations with Indian Reorganization Act constitutions should remove the Secretary of Interior approval clause from those governing documents.

Thumbnail

NNI Indigenous Leadership Fellow: John Petoskey (Part 1)

In the first of two interviews conducted in conjunction with his tenure as NNI Indigenous Leadership Fellow, John Petoskey, citizen and long-time General Counsel of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB), discusses how GTB has worked and continues to work to build and maintain…

Thumbnail

NNI Indigenous Leadership Fellow: Frank Ettawageshik (Part 1)

Frank Ettawageshik, former chairman of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBO), discusses how LTBBO has set a solid foundation upon which to engage in nation rebuilding through its development and ratification of a new constitution and governance system that is culturally appropriate…

Thumbnail

NNI Indigenous Leadership Fellow: Frank Ettawageshik (Part 2)

Frank Ettawageshik, former chairman of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBO), discusses the critical role that intergovernmental relationship building plays in the practical exercise of sovereignty and the rebuilding of Native nations. He shares several compelling examples of…

Thumbnail

Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times: W. Ron Allen

Produced by the Institute for Tribal Government at Portland State University in 2004, the landmark “Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times” interview series presents the oral histories of contemporary leaders who have played instrumental roles in Native nations' struggles for sovereignty, self-…

Thumbnail

Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times: Kathryn Harrison

Produced by the Institute for Tribal Government at Portland State University in 2004, the landmark “Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times” interview series presents the oral histories of contemporary leaders who have played instrumental roles in Native nations' struggles for sovereignty, self-…

Thumbnail

Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times: Jayne Fawcett

Produced by the Institute for Tribal Government at Portland State University in 2004, the landmark “Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times” interview series presents the oral histories of contemporary leaders who have played instrumental roles in Native nations' struggles for sovereignty, self-…

Thumbnail

Herminia Frias: Engaging the Nation's Citizens and Effecting Change

Herminia Frias, former Chairwoman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, discusses the citizen engagement challenges she encountered when she took office as an elected leader of her nation, and shares some effective strategies that she used to engage her constituents and mobilize their participation in and…

Image
BIA Head Kevin Washburn Speaks to ICTMN About NCAI, Federal Recognition and More

BIA Head Kevin Washburn Speaks to ICTMN About NCAI, Federal Recognition and More

ICTMN's panel consisted of Ray Halbritter, Publisher; Gale Courey Toensing, staff reporter as moderator; Ray Cook, Opinions Editor; Valerie Taliman, West Coast Editor; and Simon Moya-Smith, Correspondent. All participants asked questions at various points in the conversation (photographer Cliff…

Image
Federal Recognition Process: A Culture of Neglect

Federal Recognition Process: A Culture of Neglect

The Shinnecock Indian Nation was petitioner number 4 on the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ list of tribes seeking federal recognition in 1978 soon after the agency established the seven criteria for recognition. Thirty-two years and $33 million later in June 2010, the BIA acknowledged the Shinnecock…

Image
Extinct No More: Hia-Ced O'odham Officially Join Tohono O'odham Nation

Extinct No More: Hia-Ced O'odham Officially Join Tohono O'odham Nation

After 33 years of hard work to right the past, the Hia-Ced O’odham, once thought to be extinct, can finally say they belong as part of the Tohono O’odham Nation. On June 12, the Hia-Ced O’odham District officials were sworn-in and the Hia-Ced District was officially recognized as the 12th district…

Image
New Leadership for Tubatulabal Tribe; Recognition, Economic Development Among Top Priorities

New Leadership for Tubatulabal Tribe; Recognition, Economic Development Among Top Priorities

The new year had barely dawned and Tubatulabal Tribe Chairman Robert Gomez was hard at work on the priorities he and the council had established for the year. It’s a heavy load: Federal recognition. Economic development. Professional development for tribal leadership. Community outreach. Continued…

Image
The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, a 21st century sovereign nation

For ten thousand years, a Nation of people lived and prospered on the lands now known as the Olympic Peninsula in the State of Washington. These strong people of the S'Klallam Tribes had a system of governance, engaged in commerce, managed natural and human resources, and exercised power over their…

Thumbnail

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

This video, produced by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, provides a brief overview of the nation's history, from its push to achieve federal recognition to its efforts to create a diversified, sustainable economy.

Thumbnail

Indian Pride: Episode 102: Treaties & Sovereignty

Indian Pride, an American Indian cultural magazine television series, spotlights the diverse cultures of American Indian people throughout the country. This episode of Indian Pride features John Echohawk, Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund, and focuses on understanding Indian…