self-governance

Thumbnail

Tsawwassen First Nation: Law and Policy

Tsawwassen's story about creating laws and policies after their historic treaty signing provides important insight for all First Nations who wish to develop laws and policy. 

Image
Processes of Native Nationhood: The Indigenous Politics of Self-Government

Processes of Native Nationhood: The Indigenous Politics of Self-Government

Over the last three decades, Indigenous peoples in the CANZUS countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States) have been reclaiming self-government as an Indigenous right and practice. In the process, they have been asserting various forms of Indigenous nationhood. This article…

Image
2014 Native Youth Report

2014 Native Youth Report

In June 2014, President Obama embarked on his first presidential visit to Indian Country, where he and Mrs. Obama witnessed the tale of two Americas. Standing Rock Reservation, like many others, faces myriad social, economic, and educational problems. Together, those problems are coalescing into a…

Image
Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction

Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction

Tens of millions of Indigenous peoples inhabited North America, and governed their complex societies, long before European governments sent explorers to seize lands and resources from the continent and its inhabitants. These foreign European governments interacted with tribes in diplomacy, commerce…

Image
Muscogee Constitutional Jurisprudence: Vhakv Em Pvtakv (The Carpet Under The Law)

Muscogee Constitutional Jurisprudence: Vhakv Em Pvtakv (The Carpet Under The Law)

In 1974, a group of Mvskoke citizens from Oklahoma sued the federal government in federal court. Hanging in the balance was the future of Mvskoke self-determination. The plaintiffs insisted that their 1867 Constitution remained in full effect, and that they still governed themselves pursuant to it…

Image
Indian Tribes and Human Rights Accountability

Indian Tribes and Human Rights Accountability

In Indian country, the expansion of self-governance, the growth of the gaming industry, and the increasing interdependence of Indian and non-Indian communities have intensified concern about the possible abuse of power by tribal governments. As tribes gain greater political and economic clout on…

Image
First Nation Constitutions

First Nation Constitutions

A constitution is a solid foundation for First Nations to move ahead in self-government and in nation-building activities. Your constitution will be specific to your community. It should address your community's sense of itself, how you are governed, how the membership has input into governance,…

Image
First Nations Economic Development: The Meadow Lake Tribal Council

First Nations Economic Development: The Meadow Lake Tribal Council

A new approach to economic development is emerging among the First Nations in Canada. This approach emphasizes the creation of profitable businesses competing in the global economy. These businesses are expected to help First Nations achieve their broader objectives that include: (i) greater…

Image
A Human Resource Capacity Tool for First Nations

A Human Resource Capacity Tool for First Nations

This tool was developed by the British Columbia Treaty Commission (BCTC) to assist BC First Nations who are working through the treaty process with their Human Resource (HR) planning. It responds to a growing need for a practical, efficient tool for First Nations with diverse sets of priorities,…

Image
Best Practices Case Study (Rule of Law): Nisga’a Nation

Best Practices Case Study (Rule of Law): Nisga'a Nation

Nisga'a Nation, comprised of four communities; New Aiyansh, Gitwinksihlkw, Laxgalt'sap, and Gingolx, is located in northwestern B.C. In the 1890s, Nisga'a hereditary chiefs and matriarchs formed the Nisga'a Land Committee and began to aggressively pursue self-government and title to their lands. In…

Image
Best Practices Case Study (Expansion of Jurisdiction): White Bear First Nation and SIGA

Best Practices Case Study (Expansion of Jurisdiction): White Bear First Nation and SIGA

On March 22, 1993, the provincial government of Saskatchewan sent the RCMP tactical team to shut down the White Bear casino on White Bear First Nation near Carlyle citing criminal code violations. The result was a highly hostile raid where all assets and records were confiscated. "We had every…

Image
Best Practices Case Study (Meaningful Information Sharing): Miawpukek First Nation

Best Practices Case Study (Meaningful Information Sharing): Miawpukek First Nation

Miawpukek First Nation (MFN) are Micmac people living on the south coast of Newfoundland. In 1998 they indicated to the Government of Canada their desire to move toward self-government negotiations. Recognizing the nature and scope of achievements of the community within its short existence as an…

Image
British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Governance Toolkit: A Guide to Nation Building

British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Governance Toolkit: A Guide to Nation Building

The BCAFN is pleased to present the first edition of the BCAFN Governance Toolkit: A Guide to Nation Building in accordance with our Building on OUR Success action plan and the first pillar of that plan, "Strong and Appropriate Governance." The Toolkit is a comprehensive guide intended to assist…

Image
The Last Stand: the Quinault Indian Nation's Path to Sovereignty and the Case of Tribal Forestry

The Last Stand: the Quinault Indian Nation's Path to Sovereignty and the Case of Tribal Forestry

This case tells a story of forestry management policies on the Quinault Reservation. In the early years, the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA) and later the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) acted like a landlord, allocating large timber sales to non-Indian timber companies. The Dawes Act fragmented the…

Thumbnail or cover image
Back to the Bison: Part II

Back to the Bison Case Study Part II

After the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) made the decision to work towards signing a management agreement, they began discussions with United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1994 to pursue the co-management and joint operation of the National Bison Range Complex (NBRC) which…

Image
Securing Our Futures

Securing Our Futures

NCAI is releasing a Securing Our Futures report in conjunction with the 2013 State of Indian Nations. This report shows areas where tribes are exercising their sovereignty right now, diversifying their revenue base, and bringing economic success to their nations and surrounding communities. The…

Image
From Gove to Governance: Reshaping Indigenous Governance in the Northern Territory

From Gove to Governance: Reshaping Indigenous Governance in the Northern Territory

This paper attempts to identify the key challenges facing Indigenous people and governments in reshaping the architecture of Indigenous governance in the Northern Territory of Australia, and considers some strategic options for a way forward. First, a brief historical background is provided to…

Image
Colonial Fracture And Community Cohesion: Governance In The Stó:Lõ Community Of Shxw'õwhámél

Colonial Fracture And Community Cohesion: Governance In The Stó:Lõ Community Of Shxw'õwhámél

This paper has three goals: 1) To briefly outline the process through which Shxw’õwhámél came to adopt the Siyá:m System in 1994; 2) to highlight certain concerns about the limitations of that system as articulated by community members in 2006; and 3) to provide a detailed discussion of those…

Image
Statement before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing on Economic Development

Statement before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing on Economic Development

Why is it that, amidst the well-documented and widespread poverty and social distress that characterize American Indian reservations overall, an increasing number of Native nations are breaking old patterns and building economies, social institutions, and political systems that work? What explains…