self-determination

What Is Indigenous Self-Determination and When Does it Apply?

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Self-determination is an expression often used in discussion of indigenous goals. However, the meaning of self-determination varies among Indigenous Peoples, scholars, international documents, and nation states. The most common meaning of self-determination suggests that peoples with common political and cultural organization have the right to self-government and territory. The latter use of the term self-determination was used by the United States, and to a large extent by the United Nations in the post-World War II period to argue that the many former colonies of European nations, including the British, French, Dutch, Germans, Italians and others, had the right to form independent nation-states, declare territory, and join in the United Nations and international commerce...

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Champagne, Duane. "What Is Indigenous Self-Determination and When Does it Apply?" Indian Country Today Media Network. October 4, 2014. Article. (https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/what-is-indigenous-self-determination...), accessed October 6, 2014)

White Earth Nation caseloads grow as tribe taking over human services cases from surrounding counties

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Year

White Earth tribal officials are preparing to begin the final phase of transferring human services cases from surrounding counties to the White Earth Nation.  

The movement began three years ago when a state law authorized White Earth to take control of all human services programs for its members and their families...

Native Nations
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Quam, Paula. "White Earth Nation caseloads grow as tribe taking over human services cases from surrounding counties." Inforum. May 19, 2014. Article. (https://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/content/white-earth-nation..., accessed May 20, 2014)

Indigenous and 21st Century Nationalisms

Producer
Indian Country Today
Year

Indigenous Peoples live within the boundaries of nation-states but usually do not conform to the cultural, political, economic institutions and identities of their host states. Most contemporary democratic nation states are created by agreement through adoption of a constitution, which spells out fundamental laws and values...

Native Nations
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Champagne, Duane. "Indigenous and 21st Century Nationalisms." Indian Country Today Media Network. March 15, 2014. Article. (https://ictnews.org/archive/indigenous-and-21st-century-nationalisms, accessed July 24, 2023)

Preserving Indigenous Democracy

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When Europeans first came to the Americas they took note of the democratic processes they observed in most indigenous nations. Indigenous political relations were usually decentralized, consensus based, and inclusive. Indigenous democracies may not seem remarkable by contemporary standards, but when Europeans arrived their governments were not democratic. Most of Europe was characterized by centralized absolutist states dominated by class structures, where the majority of people did not participate in the political process. Wars of independence, starting with the United States in 1775 and then throughout Latin and South America during the early 1800s, enabled creation of democratic states after overthrowing European colonial governments. The new democratic American states engaged market economies, and retained class structure, albeit within a nation of individual citizens...

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Champagne, Duane. "Preserving Indigenous Democracy." Indian Country Today Media Network. February 17, 2014. Article. (https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/preserving-...), accessed February 18, 2014)

Professor Breaks Down Sovereignty and Explains its Significance

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Sovereignty is one of those terms we toss around without much thought. It is an important word within contemporary American Indian discussions. The term itself draws from legal, cultural, political, and historical traditions, and these traditions are connected to both European as well as Indigenous philosophies in complicated ways. A shared understanding of the term would be helpful to both local people working on their own issues, and working with surrounding communities. Rather than defining sovereignty as a term, what I hope to do here is acknowledge aspects of sovereignty that have become sticking points as Indigenous people assert their own self-determination. I won’t go into Indigenous philosophies about sovereignty because it’s probably none of your business...

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Chad Uran, Shaawano. "Professor Breaks Down Sovereignty and Explains its Significance." Indian Country Today Media Network. January 2, 2014. Opinion. (https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/professor-breaks-down-sovereignt…, accessed March 2, 2022)

Disenrollment Demands Serious Attention by All Sovereign Nations

Author
Producer
Indian Country Today
Year

For most people, their sense of who they are–their identity–is at least partially defined from connection to others and to a community. When individuals are forced to sever those connections, the consequences can be devastating. Unfortunately, all too often in tribal disenrollment conflicts–like the one currently unfolding in northern Washington, where the Nooksack Indian Tribe is in the process of disenrolling 306 of its members–the fundamental issues revolve around individual and community identity. Handling these types of issues are of enormous consequence and it is the obligation of any true government to address them with the utmost seriousness...

Native Nations
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Seelau, Ryan. "Disenrollment Demands Serious Attention by All Sovereign Nations." Indian Country Today Media Network. December 10, 2013. Opinion. (https://ictnews.org/archive/disenrollment-demands-serious-attention-by-all-sovereign-nations, accessed April 4, 2023)

Indigenous Nations Have the Right to Choose: Renewal or Contract

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When making significant change Indigenous nations make choices about whether to build on traditions or to adopt new forms of government, economy, culture or community. Many changes are external and often forced upon contemporary Indigenous Peoples. Adapting to competitive markets, or new bureaucratic programs, or changes in policy and administration of nation states are matters that are outside an Indigenous nation’s control. Changes that are not generated within Indian nations often do not have community or tribal government consent, and therefore are taken in compliance only...

Native Nations
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Champagne, Duane. "Indigenous Nations Have the Right to Choose: Renewal or Contract." Indian Country Today. November 3, 2013. Opinion. (https://ictnews.org/archive/indigenous-nations-have-the-right-to-choose-renewal-or-contract, accessed July 25, 2023)

How Tribal Nations Need to Be Understood Around the World

Producer
Indian Country Today
Year

The word “nation” is one of those words that gets thrown around haphazardly by academics, laypeople and politicians alike; it has become synonymous with “nation-state” and “state” to describe what we understand today as the global polities we refer to as countries. But there are distinctions to be made, and the reason it’s important is because of the rapidly changing nature of the global political arena in which Indigenous peoples find themselves engaging. Words have the power to create reality, not just reflect it–especially in law–so we must be very clear to say what we mean, and mean what we say...

Native Nations
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Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. "How Tribal Nations Need to Be Understood Around the World." Indian Country Today Media Network. October 2, 2013. Opinion. (https://ictnews.org/archive/how-tribal-nations-need-to-be-understood-around-the-world, accessed July 18, 2023)

The Pueblo of Sandia's leasing regulations and what businesses need to do to enter into leases

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The Pueblo of Sandia ("Pueblo") was the first tribe in New Mexico, and the second in the United States, to receive approval by the Secretary of the Interior for its tribal leasing regulations promulgated under the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership ("HEARTH") Act Amendments to the Indian Long-Term Leasing Act, 25 U.S.C. § 415. The HEARTH Act authorized Tribes to promulgate regulations governing leases of tribal land for residential, business, and other purposes...

Native Nations
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Stevenson, Sarah M. "The Pueblo of Sandia’s leasing regulations and what businesses need to do to enter into leases." Modrall Sperling Roehl Harris & Sisk PA. May 30 2013. Article. (http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=2fe12118-d2a5-45db-b38a-ee..., accessed August 21, 2013)

Native nations and the rise of self-governance

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Year

The unmistakable resurgence of Native nations within the United States this past 40 years is often credited simply to self-governance.

While certainly true as far as it goes, the progression from subjugation and the despair of a disenfranchised people to today’s Native governments, is one of the most exciting and important in recent history. Indigenous people, against all odds, with diligence, intelligence, strength and courage, salvaged the remnants of a sovereignty denied for centuries and thus embarked upon the miraculous renaissance of a historically resilient people. Self-governance was born of this newly asserted sovereignty...

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Camp, Dwain. "Native nations and the rise of self-governance." Indianz.com. April 3, 2013. Opinion. (http://indianz.com/News/2013/009158.asp, accessed April 8, 2013)