Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance & Development

Mille Lacs' Small Business Development Program

Year

The Small Business Development Program assists Band members in developing the private sector economy by providing low-interest loans up to $75,000 to businesses that are at least 60 percent owned and operated by Band members located on or near the Reservation. The Program offers both "micro" loans to serve as seed money for business development and "macro" loans for more extensive business start-up or expansion needs. Additionally, it offers assistance with business plan development, marketing, accounting, and management. Since its inception in 1996, the Program has provided loans and training to more than 30 businesses, including construction companies, coffee houses, a septic service, lawn care and snow removal businesses, a karate studio, a horse breeding operation, a hair salon, and an art gallery. Together, the Mille Lacs Corporate Commission and the Small Business Development Program help diversify the tribal economy by providing economic development opportunities that span beyond government jobs and the gaming industry.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Small Business Development Program". Honoring Nations: 2000 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2001. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Pte Hca Ka, Inc. (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe)

Year

This tribally chartered corporation developed a culturally compatible management system for reestablishing buffalo as a focal point for socio-economic development, community cohesion, and self-determination. Pte Hca Ka, Inc. operates a mobile meat processing facility, and is currently seeking acquisition of 22,000 acres for a buffalo habitat that would become the first tribal national park. By integrating Lakota traditions into an economic development strategy, Pte Hca Ka, Inc. not only operates a profitable enterprise, but is also restoring cultural values into the Tribal economy and fostering pride and dignity among Tribal citizens. Pte Hca Ka, Inc. has been featured in numerous documentaries and has won widespread praise as a culturally appropriate development effort.

Resource Type
Citation

"Pte Hca Ka, Inc.". Honoring Nations: 1999 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2000. Report. 

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Navajo's Pine Hill Health Center

Year

In the Ramah Chapter of the Navajo Nation–as in many parts of Indian Country–late detection of breast cancer leads to disproportionally high rates of breast cancer mortality. Ramah Navajo’s Pine Hill Health Center devised a creative response: it launched a series of "Mammo Days," educational and social outings designed to encourage Navajo women to get regular breast cancer exams. Highly popular, Mammo Days meet a critical need in a culturally sensitive and medically effective way.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Pine Hill Health Center." Honoring Nations: 2008 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2009. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Rosebud Sioux Tribal Education Department and Code

Year

Responding to disproportionately low academic attendance, achievement, and attainment levels, the Tribe created an education department (TED) in 1990 and developed a Code that regulates and coordinates various aspects of the tribal schools, public schools, and federally-funded Indian education programs on the reservation. Since the TED was established and the Code enacted, dropout rates have declined substantially and graduation rates have increased. By supplementing state and federal law, the Tribal Education Department and Code enables the Rosebud Sioux Tribe to play a greater role in the education of its youth. The Tribe is now responsible for critical components of formal education–curriculum, staffing, and funding–that, for decades, had been assumed by non-tribal governments.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Rosebud Sioux Tribal Education Department and Code". Honoring Nations: 1999 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2000. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Grand Traverse Band Tribal Court

Year

Constitutionally separated from the political influences of government, the Tribal Court hears more than 500 cases per year, and utilizes "peacemaking" to mediate in cases in which dispute resolution is preferred to an adversarial approach. The Court adjudicates on such issues as child abuse, juvenile delinquency, guardianships, contract disputes, constitutional issues, personal and property injuries, and employment disputes. By turning to the Peacemaking system, the Tribe has been able to resolve often contentious legal issues in a manner which helps retain the social fabric that ties the community together.

Resource Type
Citation

"Tribal Court of the Grand Traverse Band". Honoring Nations: 1999 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2000. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Chickaloon Village: Ya Ne Dah Ah School

Year

Dedicated to giving community youth the skills necessary for functioning in a modern world while retaining and facilitating traditional knowledge and practices, the Ya Ne Dah Ah is Alaska’s only tribally owned and operated full-time primary school and day care facility. Located in a one-room schoolhouse that receives no federal or state funding, the School’s 20 students — whose CAT scores are higher than their national counterparts — learn Ahtna Athabascan history, language, music, art from elders, and science and math from tribal foresters, environmentalists, and computer technicians. The School’s board also encourages intensive parental involvement and aggressively monitors student progress.

Resource Type
Citation

"Ya Ne Dah Ah School." Honoring Nations: 2002 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2003. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Winnebago's Whirling Thunder Wellness Program

Year

To prevent and control the devastating effects of diabetes and substance abuse, in 1995, the Winnebago Tribe created the Whirling Thunder Wellness Program, which raises community awareness about diabetes and substance abuse, administers primary and secondary prevention services, and encourages healthy lifestyles that are consistent with traditional practices. Among the Program’s innovations are the "Team Up" diabetes patient retreat, "Kidz Café" which provides healthy summertime meals and snacks to community children, and after school programs that provide safe, adult-supervised cultural and physical activities for up to 50 children during peak "risk" hours.

Resource Type
Citation

"Whirling Thunder Wellness Program." Honoring Nations: 2002 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2003. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

White Earth Suicide Intervention Team

Year

The White Earth Suicide Intervention Team (WESIT) was created in 1990 in response to an extraordinarily high rate of suicide attempts and completions among tribal members living on the White Earth Reservation. With the Tribal Council’s official support, a group of volunteers came together following a series of grassroots community meetings and adopted the mission of ―suicide intervention. Their volunteer program is designed to provide support and care to clients and family members and to ensure that appropriate intervention and treatment occur in the event of suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. In 1990, there was great despair among members of the White Earth Reservation that they might not be able to overcome this difficult problem; today, WESIT’s effectiveness is best demonstrated through a renewed level of community hope. WESIT has turned the tide of opinion at White Earth, showing that with compassion, coordinated resources, and proper training, something can be done.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"White Earth Suicide Intervention Team." Honoring Nations: 2000 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2001. Report. 

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Poeh Center: Sustaining and Constructing Legacies (Pojoaque Pueblo)

Year

Faced with the common challenge of raising funds for construction of a cultural center and museum, the Tribal Council created the Pojoaque Pueblo Construction Services Corporation in 1993. The Corporation’s chartering mandate was to generate revenues for cultural activities and to oversee the construction and maintenance of the Poeh Center and Museum. Having completed a variety of local construction initiatives (including the Poeh Center) and having received its 8(a) certification, today the Pojoaque Pueblo Construction Services Corporation bids profitably on commercial projects throughout New Mexico and provides a sustainable funding stream for cultural and artistic activities. As a result, the Poeh Center is able to offer training and studio space to Pueblo artists and stimulate knowledge of Pueblo legacies and traditions. By blending cultural revitalization and economic development in a unique partnership, the Pueblo is creating new revenues and employment opportunities through its construction company and providing support to cultural activities for years to come.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Poeh Center: Sustaining and Constructing Legacies". Honoring Nations: 2000 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2001. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Monitors Program

Year

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is located on 2.3 million acres of land in the central regions of North and South Dakota. Land issues rose to the forefront of tribal concerns after events such as allotment, lands flooding after the Army Corps of Engineers built a series of dams adjacent to the Tribe, and years of drought that caused drastic changes to a major river. Allotment meant that many sacred sites were no longer on lands controlled by the Tribe. Dropping water levels in the river, reservoirs, and lakes exposed culturally significant sites long covered by water. Dispersed over a massive land base, these numerous cultural and archeological sites were subject to looting and abuse. In 2000, using its authority to manage, protect, and preserve tribal property, the Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office established a Tribal Monitors Program. Archeologically trained personnel, working with tribal elders, identify and monitor these significant sites. Additionally, they see that the sites, the artifacts within them, and any exposed human remains are dealt with in a culturally appropriate way. The Tribe is managing and protecting its lands while preserving the spiritual and cultural heritage and resources that the nation truly depends on for future generations.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Tribal Monitors Program." Honoring Nations: 2005 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2006. Report. 

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.