sovereignty

Story of Igiugig: Native Sovereignty in Alaska

Producer
Eric Henson, Patrick J. Lynch and Erica Wood
Year

This short film looks at how a sovereign Native people are planning for the future, as told through three short chapters:

Chapter 1: Nunaput (Our Homelands)

Chapter 2: Capricaraq (Persistence)

Chapter 3: Pinarqut (Possibility)

Native Nations
Resource Type
Topics
Citation

Lynch, P. (2021, November 5). Story of Igiugig: Native Sovereignty in Alaska [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et6StffUoU4

Tribal Sovereignty Special

Producer
KNBA 90.3 FM
Year

What does tribal sovereignty mean in Alaska? KNBA's Joaqlin Estus talks with two experts about the legal basis for tribal sovereignty, and tribal judicial systems at work in Alaska. Hear about a court ruling that Alaska tribes can put land into trust status, tax-free and safe from seizure...

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Tribal Sovereignty Special: The Our Alaska Show on KNBA 90.3 FM (Host: Joaqlin Estus)." Featured on KDLG 89.9 FM Public Radio for Alaska's Bristol Bay. Dillingham, AK. April 9, 2013. Radio Interview. (http://kdlg.org/post/tribal-sovereignty-special-kdlg, accessed August 19, 2013)

Determi-Nation podcast with Darrah Blackwater

Year

Determi-Nation is a series of conversations with Indigenous people doing incredible things to strengthen sovereignty and self-determination in their communities.

Resource Type
Citation

Blackwater, Darrah. Determi-Nation. Podcast series. Spotify. 2021. https://open.spotify.com/show/4u4xUXS3JLuhWroYoDd7xx

Transcript available on request. Please email us: nni@arizona.edu

Cherokee Nation '99 Constitution Incorporated Older Ideas

Producer
Tahlequah Daily Press
Year

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 Constitution, the tribe was required to ask its citizens in 20 years whether the law should be amended, edited, or reworked through a constitutional convention. After it was overwhelmingly endorsed by CN citizens, the tribe created the Constitution Convention Commission in 1998 to discern what changes should be made.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Crawford, Grant D. "CN '99 Constitution Incorporated Older Ideas". Sept. 8, 2019. Tahlequah Daily Press. Retrieved from https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/cn-99...

Herminia Frias: Working Toward Effective Native Leadership

Producer
Native Nations Institute
Year

For years at Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Herminia Frias has remained a consistent leader in tribal government. She became the first woman elected Chairwoman and youngest to serve the position. After a contentious term with the tribal council, she was removed from office but then immediately returned to tribal council by being successfully elected to tribal council where she continues to serve. Councilwoman Frias spoke at the Native Women in Governance speaker series from Native Nations Institute and the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program where she detailed the challenges she faced and her determination to not quit on being a Native leader. After that speech, Herminia Frias spoke to NNI in an interview that offered her reflections and perspectives on what it means to be a Native Nation building leader. She outlines the finer points of making indigenous governance work for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe that involves working with diverse views and approaches toward governance. Her experiences mark an invaluable perspective about Native leadership that touches on unique challenges and successes toward building more self-determination for her Native Nation.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Native Nations Institute. "Herminia Frias: Working Toward Native Leadership.” Leading Native Nations, Native Nations Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, February, 2019

Transcript available upon request. Please email: nni@email.arizona.edu

Sovereign Nations: Giving Visibility

Producer
Produced in partnership with TPT-Twin Cities PBS and producer/director Missy Whiteman
Year

Tribal nations have always had formal ways of self-governing. Take a closer look at local Tribes exercising their inherent rights to land, culture, and self-governance in a contemporary context. Produced in partnership with TPT-Twin Cities PBS and producer/director Missy Whiteman. Special thanks to Bradley Harrington, Byron Ninham, Levi Brown, and Peri Pourier.

Resource Type
Topics
Citation

Native Governance Center. 2018. "Sovereign Nations: Giving Visibility." Produced in partnership with TPT-Twin Cities PBS and producer/director Missy Whiteman. St. Paul, Minnesota. Video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG9AVnIA5O0, accessed November 30, 2023)

Honoring Nations All-Stars Profile: Constitutional Reform Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Year
Forced relocations, loss of lands, and the economic necessity of moving away from home and community are common histories in Indian Country. Yet, despite these tragic circumstances, tribes continue to assert their sovereignty in order to improve the lives of their people. One of these remarkable stories comes from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN). In 2007, tired of bandaging a failing constitution that did not meet the cultural needs of the Nation, CPN citizens ratified a new governing document that resulted in a significant transfer of power and realigned the constitution to Citizen Potawatomi culture. The Nation moved from a five-member business committee with representatives only from Oklahoma to a sixteen-member legislative body with regional representatives for all CPN citizens, wherever they reside. In addition, it established checks and balances and further clarified roles and responsibilities within the governing system. Perhaps most important of all, it strengthened the Nation’s self-governance by removing the clause that required the US Secretary of the Interior to approve future changes to CPN’s constitution.
Native Nations
Resource Type
Topics
Citation

Honoring Nations All-Stars Profile: Constitutional Reform Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2013.

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Constitution

Year

Location: Spans border between New York and Canada 

Population: 2700 

Date of Constitution: 1995 

 

Native Nations
Topics
Citation

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. 1995. "Constitution of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe." Akwesasne, NY. 

Skokomish Indian Tribe Constitution

Year

Location: Washington State 

Population: 489 

Date of Constitution: 1938, as amended in 1980 

 

Native Nations
Topics
Citation

Skokomish Indian Tribe. 1938. "Constitution of Skokomish Indian Tribe." Shelton, WA. 

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Constitution

Year

Location: Upper Peninsula of Michigan 

Population: 40,000 

Date of Constitution: 1975 

Topics
Citation

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. 1975. "Constitution and Bylaws of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians." Sault Ste. Marie, MI.