Indigenous Governance Database
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Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate: Elections Excerpt
ARTICLE V - NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS SECTION 1. The first election of the Council under this Revised Constitution shall be called, held and supervised by the present Council within one hundred twenty (120) days after its approval. Successful candidates at this first election shall assume…
Haida Nation: Jurisdiction/Territory Excerpt
ARTICLE 1 HAIDA TERRITORIES A1.S1 The Territories of the Haida Nation include the entire lands of Haida Gwaii, the surrounding waters, sub-surface and the air space. The waters include the entire Dixon Entrance, half of the Hecate Straits, halfway to Vancouver Island and Westward into the abyssal…
Westbank First Nation: Jurisdiction/Territory Excerpt
2. Aboriginal Rights and Title 2.1 Westbank is part of the Okanagan Nation which has occupied and benefited from Okanagan traditional territory since time immemorial. 2.2 Westbank has never ceded, surrendered, or in any way relinquished aboriginal title and will continue to assert its interests…
Yurok Tribe: Jurisdiction/Territory Excerpt
ARTICLE I - TERRITORY , JURISDICTION AND AUTHORITY SECTION 1 - Ancestral Lands The Ancestral Lands of the Yurok Tribe extend unbroken along the Pacific Ocean coast (including usual and customary offÂshore fishing areas) from Damnation Creek, its northern boundary, to the southern…
Tohono O'odham Nation: Jurisdiction/Territory Excerpt
ARTICLE I - JURISDICTION Section 1. The sovereign powers, authority and jurisdiction of the Tohono O'odham Nation and of its government shall extend to all lands within the boundaries of the Tohono O'odham Nation established by Executive Orders: December 12, 1882, modified June 17, 1909 (Gila…
Rosebud Sioux Tribe: Elections Excerpt
Article VI - Elections Section 1. Any enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, at least eighteen (18) years of age, who has resided for at least thirty (30) days immediately prior to the election day in the district in which he anticipates to vote, is qualified to vote. (Amendment XIV effective…
Rosebud Sioux Tribe: Legislative Functions Excerpt
Article IV - Powers of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council Section 1. Enumerated powers - The Council of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe shall exercise the following powers subject to any limitations imposed by the statutes or the Constitution of the United States, and subject further to all express…
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation: Jurisdiction/Territory Excerpt
ARTICLE I - TERRITORY AND JURISDICTION Section 1. The authority and jurisdiction of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation shall extend to the fullest extent possible, including, without limitation, (a) to any and all persons, including non-members and members of the Prairie Band …
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians: Elections Excerpt
ARTICLE V NOMINATION AND ELECTIONS Section 1. All elections shall be conducted by secret ballot. The candidate or issue receiving the greatest number of votes cast shall prevail. In the event more than one representative is required to be elected for a district, the positions shall be filled…
Seneca Nation: Terms of Office Excerpt
SECTION I. Our government shall have a legislative, executive, and judiciary department. The legislative power shall be vested in a Council of sixteen members, who shall be known and called the Councillors of the Seneca Nation of Indians, eight Councillors elected to the Council shall be from the…
Skokomish Indian Tribe: Terms of Office Excerpt
ARTICLE IV - TRIBAL COUNCIL Sec. 4. Terms of Office Each Tribal Council member shall be elected for a term of four (4) years. Terms of office for the seven (7) council members shall be staggered, two (2) members being elected each year for three (3) consecutive years and one (1)…
Hoopa Valley Tribe: Recall, Removal, & Vacancies Excerpt
ARTICLE VII - VACANCIES, REMOVAL, RECALL AND REFERENDUM Section 1. If any member of the Tribal Council or other elected official shall die, resign, be removed from office or shall be found guilty while in office of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude in any Indian, State or Federal…
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes: Terms of Office Excerpt
ARTICLE VI - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Section 3. Terms. District Legislator's shall serve four year staggered terms of office. A Legislator shall be eligible to serve three consecutive terms under this Constitution. Upon the completion of the third consecutive term, the Legislator shall not be…
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes: Legislative Functions Excerpt
ARTICLE VI - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Section 1. Composition. The Legislative Branch shall be comprised of one Legislature. The Legislature shall consist of four Cheyenne Districts and four Arapaho Districts. Each Cheyenne District shall have one Cheyenne Legislator and each Arapaho District shall have…
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians: Amendments Excerpt
Article XIII - Amendments This constitution and bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the qualified voters of the tribe voting at an election called for that purpose by the Secretary of the Interior, provided that at least forty percent (40%) of those entitled to vote shall vote in such…
Cherokee Nation: Amendments Excerpt
Article XV. Initiative, Referendum and Amendment. Section 9. No convention shall be called by the Council to propose a new Constitution, unless the law providing for such convention shall first be approved by the People on a referendum vote at a regular or special election. Any amendments,…
Crow Tribe: Amendments Excerpt
ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote ofthe Crow Tribal General Council provided that at least thirty percent (30%) of the Crow Tribal General Council vote in an election called for the purpose of amending the Constitution. The process to propose…
Gila River Indian Community: Legislative Functions Excerpt
ARTICLE VI–QUALIFICATIONS OF OFFICERS Section 1. No person shall be elected or hold office as Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Chief Judge, Associate Judges, or Councilmen unless he (1) is a member of the Community; (2) has reached the age of twenty-five (25) years; (3) has been living in the…
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe: Distribution of Authority Excerpt
ARTICLE VII - DISTRICT ORGANIZATION Each district recognized under Article III, Section 2, hereof, may organize local District Councils and elect District officers to consult, make recommendations and advise the Tribal Council, the Superintendent of the Reservation or officer in charge, and the…
The Indian Reorganization Act at 80 years
At Pine Ridge, daily controversy surrounds the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934. Congress enacted the IRA on June 18, 1934. However, the voting requirement was drastically altered just three days prior. This amendment (H.R. 7781, 49 Stat., 378) dated June 15, 1934, lowered the overall voting…