Indigenous Governance Database
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Regis Pecos: Resilience of Culture and Indigenous Heritage
Former Governor, Cochiti Pueblo Regis Pecos speaks to the Native Nation Rebuilders Cohort 2015. He highlights the strength of indigenous heritage and resilience of culture for Native nations to govern themselves.
Data as a Strategic Resource: Self-determination, Governance , and the Data Challenge for Indigenous Nations in the United States
Data about Indigenous populations in the United States are inconsistent and irrelevant. Federal and state governments and researchers direct most collection, analysis, and use of data about U.S. Indigenous populations. Indigenous Peoples’ justified mistrust further complicates the collection and…
Governance and Wellness Roundtable - Alaska Tribal Government Symposium
This discussion at the Alaska Tribal Government Symposium emphasizes the connections between Indigenous self-government and wellness. Western methodologies are eager to emphasize the gaps in wellness (social, economic, and medical and mental health outcomes) between natives and non-natives.…
Indigenous Leadership Panel
What is going on in Alaska that exemplifies the success of Indigenous leaders? What are some Alaska tribes’ successful efforts to strengthen their governments and governance? Panelists share stories of success at asserting self-determination, building native governing institutions, reflecting…
Tribally-Driven Participatory Research: State of the practice and potential strategies for the future
This article discusses current practice of research with and by American Indian tribal governments in the United States. It begins with a brief overview of Community-Based Participatory Research and compares and contrasts its principles and methods with what this paper terms Tribally-Driven…
Stephen Cornell, Introduction to Native Nation Building, Alaska Tribal Government Symposium
An overview about Native nation building and the ability for Native communities in Alaska to rebuild their Native nations.
Jack Trope, Making the Indian Child Welfare Act Work: The Importance of Tribal Sovereignty
The expertise and knowledge about dealing with Alaska and Federal government entities in matters of child welfare are detailed with focus on asserting tribal sovereignty.
Roundtable: Traditional and Modern Governance and Decision Making in Alaska
A panel discussion with Native leaders in Alaska about the significance of tradition and culture that has influenced their Indigenous governance.
Access to Capital and Credit in Native Communities: A Data Review
As the second part of a two-part follow-up to the NALS, this report uses a range of datasets to document the evolution of Native Communities’ capital access since 2001. Its three main sections summarize data describing access to capital and credit for Native consumers, Native business owners, and…
Access to Capital and Credit in Native Communities
This report emerges from the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund’s commitment to helping Native Communities develop through increased access to capital. The ideas presented are grounded in an understanding of current economic conditions in Native Communities and in established…
Leroy Shingoitewa: Self-Governance with Hopi Values
Leroy Shingoitewa, member of the bear clan, and served as chairman of the Hopi tribe and since January 2016, has served as a councilman representing the village of Upper Moenkopi. He recalls the intricacies of governing while maintiang Hopi values and traditions.
Michelle Deshong: Australian Aboriginal Methods of Self-Governance
Michelle Deshong draws her connections to Kuku Yalanji and Butchulla nations. She is a 2015 recipient of the Australian-American Fulbright Indigenous Professional Scholarship that funded her residency at the Native Nations Institute housed within the Udall Center for Studies and Public…
Noelani Goodyear Ka'opua: The ongoing journey of Hawai'i sovereignty
Dr. Noelani Goodyear Ka'opua from the Indigenous Politics Faculty within the department of political science at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa speaks about the particulars of handling the issue of soverignty in Hawai’i.
Kenneth Hall: Rising to the challenge of self-governance
Councilman Kenneth Hall was elected to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation tribal business council in 2012 and represents the largest population in the north segment. Councilman Hall is Hidatsa, of the Knife Clan, and great-grandson of Chief Dragswolf, the last chief of the Hidatsa people. Hall…
Verna Bailey: Making Self-Governance Work for Standing Rock
Former councilwoman Verna Bailey of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe representing the Long Soldier District reveals the ins and outs of working with changes in a tribal council government. Her experiences offer insight into the history of self-governance for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
Carwyn Jones: Maori paths for constitutional reform
Professor Carwyn Jones of Ngāti Kahungunu descent is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington and Co-Editor of the Māori Law Review offers his testimonials on the political landscape for constitutional reform for Māori and other indigenous people.
Klamath Tribes: Preamble Excerpt
PREAMBLE: We, the People of the Klamath and Modoc Tribes and the Yahooskin Band of Snake Indians, [hereafter referred to as the Klamath Tribe(s)] do hereby establish and adopt this Constitution for the government of our General Council in order to recognize our Tribes for the continued…
Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians: Governmental Structure Excerpt
ARTICLE VI. ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT A. Purpose, Fundamental Rights. We, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, speak through this document to assert that we are a distinct nation of Anishinaabek of North America that possess the right to: self-determination; freely determine our…
Overcoming the Politics of Reform: The Story of the 1999 Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Constitutional Convention
A pressing international challenge is developing processes of constitution-making that manage the politics of reform and produce legitimate and effective constitutions. This challenge is of special concern for numerous American Indian nations that have been embroiled in dual governments and…
Chairman Dave Archambault II: Laying the Foundation for Tribal Leadership and Self-governance
Chairman Archambault’s wealth and breadth of knowledge and experience in the tribal labor and workforce development arena is unparalleled. He currently serves as the chief executive officer of one of the largest tribes in the Dakotas, leading 500 tribal government employees and overseeing an array…