Indigenous Governance Database
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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…
Reloading the Dice: Improving the Chances for Economic Development on American Indian Reservations
The experiences of a wide array of societies around the world amply demonstrate that achieving sustained, self-determined economic development is a complex and difficult task. Certainly this is the case on the Indian reservations of the United States, where numerous obstacles face tribal leaders,…
Gila River Law Enforcement Program
Serving a population of 17,000, the 92-employee Gila River Police Department operates a multifaceted law enforcement program that includes community-based policing, neighborhood block watch programs, a citizen’s police academy, and bike patrols. Since assuming control over law enforcement in 1998,…
Cherokee National Youth Choir
The Youth Choir presents an innovative approach to promoting and encouraging the use of the endangered Cherokee language among its youth while also instilling Cherokee cultural pride. The award-winning choir — comprised of 40 young Cherokee ambassadors — has performed in venues across the US,…
The First Nations Governance Act: Implications of Research Findings from the United States and Canada
In the spring of 2002, the Office of the British Columbia Regional Vice-Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) asked the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy at The University of Arizona to provide that office with an analysis of the First Nations…
Native Nations and Arizona's Economy
American Indians are disproportionately represented among the low-income residents of the state of Arizona. Across the United States, including in Arizona, reservation economies are growing at a fast pace but low starting points for growth mean that it will take years for American…
American Indian Self-Determination: The Political Economy of a Successful Policy
Examines the changing level of congressional support for the federal American Indian policy aimed at promoting self-determination, through self-governance of federally recognized tribes.
Broken Government: Constitutional Inadequacy Spawns Conflict at San Carlos
This article, published in 1999, examined the governmental conflict taking place at the San Carlos Apache Tribe. It explored the historical constitutional roots of the conflict, specifically the ineffectiveness and culturally inappropriate Indian Reorganization constitution and system of government…
Social and Economic Consequences of Indian Gaming in Oklahoma
Much has been written in the mainstream press about Indian gaming and its impact on Indian and non-Indian communities. The debate, however, tends to be focused on Class III or “casino-style” gaming. The effects of Class II gaming have largely been overlooked by the press and, unfortunately, by the…
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…
Seizing the Future: Why Some Native Nations Do and Others Don't
Both research and the experience among Native nations daily drive home the conclusion that the so-called "nation-building" approach holds the keys to self-determined social, political, and economic development for indigenous communities. This approach emphasizes the critical role of asserting…
Pine Ridge Renaissance: From the Ground Up, Sovereignty Can Be Real
This article chronicles the groundswell of small business development taking place on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. It examines the critical importance that citizen entrepreneurs can and do play in developing sustainable economies in Indian Country.
Strengthening and Rebuilding Tribal Justice Systems
Assesses the U.S Department of Justice's Comprehensive Indian Resources for Community and Law Enforcement (CIRCLE) Project, which aimed to help participating tribes implement strategies for making the individual components of their justice systems work better in addressing crime and related social…
The Nature and Components of Economic Development in Indian Country
Defines what economic development means and how it applies in Indian Country; looks at the changing patterns of Indian Country economic development; debunks some of the myths and misconceptions about economic development in Native nations; suggests policy options for both Indigenous nations and the…
Cherokee Language Revitalization Project
In 2002, the Cherokee Nation carried out a survey of its population and found no fluent Cherokee speakers under the age of 40. The Cherokee Principal Chief declared a "state of emergency," and the Nation acted accordingly. With great focus and determination, it launched a multi-faceted initiative…
Protecting the Fish and Eating Them, Too: Impacts of the Endangered Species Act on Tribal Water Use
The scarcity of water in the American West and the increased demands for the resource have created much tension of late between tribes, endangered species advocates, and the holders of water rights granted by the states for non-native consumptive uses. The over-allocation of water by state…
Implementing the Federal Endangered Species Act in Indian Country: The Promise and Reality of Secretarial Order 3206
Reviews the key requirements of the Endangered Species Act, pertinent executive orders, and Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3206; discusses the differences tribes can make by creating and implementing their own habitat management plants, as alternatives to designation of critical…
Bad River Recycling/Solid Waste Department
The Bad River Recycling/Solid Waste Department created environmentally sound practices of managing and disposing of waste generated on the reservation, ending cycles of harm to tribal citizens, lands, and water. Historically, waste was not only hazardous, but noticeable and abundant on reservation…
What Makes First Nations Enterprises Successful? Lessons from the Harvard Project
Some enterprises owned and operated by Native nations do well, and others don't. Of course this is true of all businesses--some succeed and others fail--and there are numerous reasons why. After all, building a successful business is a complex and challenging task. But in these and many other cases…
Alaska Native Self-Government and Service Delivery: What Works?
The Native peoples of Alaska have governed themselves for far longer than either the State of Alaska or the United States. Indeed, their rights of self-government are properly defended as basic human rights that are not unilaterally extinguishable by these other governments. Yet, today an…