Indigenous Governance
Database
legal infrastructure
Cherokee Nation '99 Constitution Incorporated Older Ideas
Before the Cherokee Nation 1999 Constitution was ratified by voters in 2003 and recognized by the federal government in 2006, the tribe was governed under different laws that required extensive input and oversight by Cherokees when they decided to rewrite the document in 1995. Under the 1975…
Indigenize the Internet: How to close the digital divide by respecting tribal sovereignty by Darrah Blackwater
Broadband internet and the tools necessary to access it are critical for economic development, education and employment opportunities, and public health and safety for tribal nations and their citizens. Broadband internet is an essential utility, especially during this global pandemic, which is…
Cherokee Nation Constitution
Cherokee Nation is spread across 14 counties in northeastern Oklahoma with a population of 300,000 people. The constitution was enacted in 2003. Cherokee Nation allows citizens who live outside the territory to vote in elections and be represented on the council. Preamble: We, the People of the…
Carcross/Tagish First Nation Constitution
Located in the Yukon Territory, Canada, the Carcross/Tagish First Nation has a population of 609 people, and their constitution was enacted in 2005. MISSION STATEMENT: The Carcross/Tagish First Nation is mandated to protect the environment, health and wellness, education and aboriginal rights of…
Bolivia Constitution
Bolivia is located in South America with a population of 10.5 million people. The constitution was enacted in 2009. PREAMBLE: In ancient times mountains arose, rivers spread out from one place to another, lakes were formed. Our Amazonia, our swamps, our highlands and our plains and valleys were…
Yavapai-Apache Nation Constitution
Location: Arizona Population: 2300 Date of Constitution: 1936, as amended 1947
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Constitution
Citizen Potawatomi Nation is located in Oklahoma with a population of 29,000 people. The constitution was enacted in 1938 and amended in 1985 and 2007. Preamble: We, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, sometimes designated as the Potawatomi Tribe of Oklahoma, in furtherance of our inherent powers of…
Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Constitution
The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana is located in Southern Louisiana with a population of 950 people. The constitution was enacted in 1970 and amended in 2009 and 2010. Preamble: We, the Chitimacha Indians of Louisiana, desiring to establish an organization for our common welfare and benefit, do…
Chilkat Indian Village Constitution
The Chilkat Indian Village is located in Southeastern Alaska with a population of 140 people. The constitution was enacted in 2006. The village was involved in a famous cultural property case about Whale House rain screen and totem poles. Preamble: We, a sovereign community of Tlingit Indians…
Chickasaw Nation Constitution
Chickasaw Nation is located in Oklahoma with a population of 49,000 people. The constitution was enacted in 1983 and amended in 2002. Preamble: We, the people of the Chickasaw Nation, acknowledging with gratitude the grace and beneficence of God, in permitting us to make choice of our own form of…
Blackfeet Nation Constitution
The Blackfeet Nation is located in Northern Montana at the Canadian border. It has a population of 16,500 people and the tribe was artificially divided by the U.S.-Canadian border. The constitution was enacted in 1934 and amended in 1962, 1978, and 1998. PREAMBLE: We, the adult members of the…
Alabama and Coushatta Tribes of Texas Constitution
The Alabama and Coushatta Tribes of Texas is located in East Texas with a population of 1,000 individuals. Their constitution was ratified in 1938. The federal government terminated its relationship with the tribe in 1954 and restored federal recognition in 1987. Preamble: We, the Alabama and…
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes: Legislative Functions Excerpt
ARTICLE VI - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Section 1. Composition. The Legislative Branch shall be comprised of one Legislature. The Legislature shall consist of four Cheyenne Districts and four Arapaho Districts. Each Cheyenne District shall have one Cheyenne Legislator and each Arapaho District shall have…
Cherokee Nation: Amendments Excerpt
Article XV. Initiative, Referendum and Amendment. Section 9. No convention shall be called by the Council to propose a new Constitution, unless the law providing for such convention shall first be approved by the People on a referendum vote at a regular or special election. Any amendments,…
Chilkat Indian Village: Legislative Functions Excerpt
ARTICLE V — POWERS OF THE VILLAGESection 1. The Council shall have the power: (n) To adjudicate matters of a civil and criminal nature, arising within the Tribe’s jurisdiction and to establish tribal courts if deemed necessary for that purpose. (o) To enact ordinances and take any other action…
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma: Judiciary Functions/Dispute Resolution Excerpt
ARTICLE XII - JUDICIAL DEPARTMENTSection 1. The judicial authority of the Choctaw Nation shall be vested in a Tribal Court which shall consist of three (3)-member Court appointed by the Chief with the advice and consent of the Tribal Council. One (1) such member,the presiding judge, shall be a…
Chilkat Indian Village: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE III — MEMBERSHIPSection 1. Defined: The membership of the Chilkat Indian Village shall consist of the following: (a) Original members.- All persons whose names appear on the 1940 census roll, prepared in accordance with the Instructions of the Secretary of the Interior for Organization in…
Citizen Potawatomi Nation: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE 3 — MEMBERSHIP OF TRIBESection 1. The membership of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation shall consist of the following persons: (a) All persons of Indian blood who were bona fide members of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and who were enrolled or were entitled to be enrolled on the official census…
John McCoy: The Tulalip Tribes: Building and Exercising the Rule of Law for Economic Growth
Former Manager of Quil Ceda Village John McCoy discusses how the Tulalip Tribes have systematically strengthened their governance capacity and rule of law in order to foster economic diversification and growth. He also stresses the importance of Native nations building relationships with other…
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…