Indigenous Governance Database
sovereignty
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…
Jicarilla Apache Tribe: Judiciary Functions/Dispute Resolution Excerpt
ARTICLE VI-POWERS OF THE REPRESENTATIVE TRIBAL COUNCILSECTION 4. Peace and Order.-The Council may make regulations, subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior, to protect the peace, safety, morals, and general welfare of the reservation, to provide a means of settling disputes, and to…
Skokomish Indian Tribe: Initiative & Referendum Excerpt
ARTICLE VIII - INITIATIVE Section 1. Right of Initiative. Voters of the Skokomish tribe shall have the right to cause a vote of the General Council on any legislation proposed by the voters and on any proposed or enacted ordinance or resolution of the Tribal Council. No later than thirty (30) days…
Ho-Chunk Nation: Governmental Structure Excerpt
ARTICLE III - ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENTSection 1. Sovereignty. The Ho-Chunk Nation possesses inherent sovereign powers by virtue of self-government and democracy.Section 2. Branches of Government. The government of the Ho-Chunk Nation shall be composed of four (4) branches: General Council,…
Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians: Citizenship Excerpt
Article 7. Rights and Responsibilities of CitizensSection 1. All citizens of the Tribe are entitled to equal respect without regard to gender, age, or religion. All citizens shall enjoy equal opportunities to participate in the economic resources and activities of the Tribe, and no citizen shall be…
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…
Comanche Nation: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIPSection 1. The membership of the Comanche Nation shall consist of the following: (a) All persons, who received an allotment of land as members of the Comanche Nation under the Act of June 6, 1900 (31 Stat. 672), and subsequent Acts, shall be included as full blood members of…
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…
Haida Nation: Preamble Excerpt
HAIDA PROCLAMATION The Haida Nation is the rightful heir to Haida Gwaii. Our culture is born of respect; and intimacy with the land and sea and the air around us. Like the forests, the roots of our people are intertwined such that the greatest troubles cannot overcome us. We owe our existence to…
Hopi Tribe: Preamble Excerpt
Preamble: This Constitution, to be known as the Constitution and By-laws of the Hopi Tribe, is adopted by the self-governing Hopi and Tewa Villages of Arizona to provide a way of working together for peace and agreement between the villages, and of preserving the good things of Hopi life, and to…
Coquille Indian Tribe: Preamble Excerpt
Preamble: Our ancestors since the beginning of time have lived and died on the Coquille aboriginal lands and waters. The Coquille Indian Tribe is and has always been a sovereign selfgoverning power dedicated to: 1. Preservation of Coquille Indian Culture and Tribal Identity. 2. Promotion of…
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians: Preamble Excerpt
Preamble: We, the members of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan, in order to organize for our common good, to govern ourselves under our own laws, to maintain and foster our tribal culture, to protect our homeland, to conserve and develop our natural resources, and…
Indigenous Land Management in the United States: Context, Cases, Lessons
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is seeking ways to support First Nations’ economic development. Among its concerns are the status and management of First Nations’ lands. The Indian Act, bureaucratic processes, the capacities of First Nations themselves, and other factors currently limit the…
Gila River Indian Community Air Quality Program
In recent years, tribal governments in the United States have passed sophisticated laws and regulations to manage social and economic development in their communities. Although air quality is an important aspect of both economic growth and human health, very few Native nations have successfully…
Transcending Borders in Tribal Nation-Building
Dr. Stephen Cornell addressed the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, House of Commons, in Ottawa, Canada. The following is the excerpted transcript from his address, which, among other things, discusses what really does and should matter to Indigenous peoples--…
Sovereignty and Peoplehood
The term "sovereignty" perplexes students of the American Indian policy perhaps more than any other concept. The word comes from the Old French soverain or souverein and was usually used in reference to a king or lord who had the undisputed right to make decisions and act accordingly with or…
Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse
Officially sanctioned by the Grand Council of Chiefs to represent the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) in international lacrosse competition, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team represents a sovereign nation in world competition. The team — which has won numerous medals and awards — has successfully…
Diné (Navajo) Local Governance Projects
Formed in 1989 by the Navajo Nation Council, the Office of Navajo Government Development works with the Diné people and their elected leaders to conduct government reform, foster the incorporation of Navajo culture and tradition into the Navajo Nation Code, and facilitate the transference of…
Sovereignty and Nation-Building: The Development Challenge in Indian Country Today
The Indian nations of the United States face a rare opportunity. This is not the occasional business opportunity of reservation legend, when some eager investor would arrive at tribal offices with a proposal guaranteed to produce millions of dollars for the tribe--although such investors still…
Myths and Realities of Tribal Sovereignty: The Law and Economics of Indian Self-Rule
The last three decades have witnessed a remarkable resurgence of the American Indian nations in the United States. The foundation of this resurgence has been the exercise of self-government (sovereignty) by the more than 560 federally- recognized tribes in the U.S. In this study, we explore legal…