governing system

Wolves Have A Constitution: Continuities in Indigenous Self-Government

Year

This article is about constitutionalism as an Indigenous tradition. The political idea of constitutionalism is the idea that the process of governing is itself governed by a set of foundational laws or rules. There is ample evidence that Indigenous nations in North America–and in Australia and New Zealand as well–were in this sense constitutionalists. Customary law, cultural norms, and shared protocols provided well understood guidelines for key aspects of governance by shaping both personal and collective action, the behavior of leaders, decision-making, dispute resolution, and relationships with the human, material, and spirit worlds. Today, many of these nations have governing systems imposed by outsiders. As they move to change these systems, they also are reclaiming their own constitutional traditions.

Resource Type
Citation

Cornell, Stephen. "'Wolves Have A Constitution:' Continuities in Indigenous Self-Government." The International Indigenous Policy Journal. Volume 6,  Issue 1. January 2015. Paper. (https://turtletalk.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/continuities-in-indigenou..., accessed March 24, 2015)

Kin-Based Governments Can Be Successful and Profitable

Producer
Indian Country Today
Year

A key to understanding American Indian nations, and Indigenous Peoples in general, is local community organization. Local groups, as basic building blocks of indigenous nations, play a powerful role in tribal or national consensus building and decision-making. The ways that local indigenous groups are constructed varies considerably among the nations, and through history...

Resource Type
Citation

Champagne, Duane. "Kin-Based Governments Can Be Successful and Profitable." Indian Country Today. October 11, 2013. Article. (https://ictnews.org/archive/kin-based-governments-can-be-successful-and-profitable, accessed August 1, 2023)

Truth To Tell: Community Connections - White Earth Constitutional Forum Part II

Producer
KKWE/Niijii Radio
Year

In collaboration with production partner KKWE/Niijii Radio, TruthToTell and CivicMedia/Minnesota traveled west on August 14, 2013, to the White Earth Reservation to air/televise the seventh in our series of LIVE Community Connections forums on critical Minnesota issues. Convened at White Earth's Shooting Star Casino, panelists debated the meaning and impacts of a proposed new home rule constitution to be voted on by White Earth Nation citizens this fall, and fielded questions from members of the audience. This is a burning issue among members of the entire Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT), whose current Constitution governs all Minnesota bands under its jurisdiction...

Native Nations
Citation

KKWE/Niijii Radio. "Truth To Tell: Community Connections - White Earth Constitutional Forum Part II." Truth ToTell and Civic Media Minnesota (hosts: Andy Driscoll and Michelle Alimoradi). KKWE/Niijii Radio. August 14, 2013. Forum. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt8NZM8LdnU, accessed September 6, 2013)

Northern Cheyenne Tribe: Traditional Law and Constitutional Reform

Year

This profile by Sheldon C. Spotted Elk examines the U.S. government's infringement on the Northern Cheyenne's political sovereignty. Most significantly, it examines the relationship between the oral history of the Northern Cheyenne and its impact on traditional tribal governance and law. Following the Northern Cheyenne's adoption of a modern constitution, many members fought to continue living under a traditional constitution. Ultimately, the Northern Cheyenne adopted a written, IRA-compatible constitution while maintaining an oral constitution. The delicate balance allows the Northern Cheyenne to address modern issues while also keeping the fundamental traditional and customary law of the tribe alive.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Spotted Elk, Sheldon C. "Northern Cheyenne Tribe: Traditional Law and Constitutional Reform." Tribal Law Journal. Volume 12: 2011/ 2012. UNM School of Law. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 2012. Article. (http://lawschool.unm.edu/tlj/volumes/vol12/Northern-Cheyenne.pdf, accessed September 23, 2013)