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Joan Timeche and Joseph P. Kalt: The Process of Constitutional Reform: Key Issues and Cases to Consider
Joan Timeche and Joseph P. Kalt share two stories of constitutional reform processes undertaken by Native nations and discuss what factors spurred or impeded the ultimate success of those efforts.
Constitutional Reform: A Wrap-Up Discussion (Q&A)
NNI "Tribal Constitutions" seminar presenters, panelists and participants Robert Breaker, Julia Coates, Frank Ettawageshik, Miriam Jorgensen, Gwen Phillips, Ian Record, Melissa L. Tatum and Joan Timeche field questions from the audience about separations of powers, citizenship, blood quantum and…
New Alaska Native Business Powerhouse Assembled In Alaska's Arctic
Representatives of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), NANA Regional Corporation (NANA) and Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) are announcing the establishment of the Iñuit Arctic Business Alliance (IABA).IABA's mission is to provide a unified voice, collective vision, guidelines and…
Kuskokwim Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Meets
Just a few weeks before the king salmon run begins in earnest, Kuskokwim tribal leaders came together in the first-ever meeting of Kuskokwim River Inter Tribal Fisheries Commission. The group is pushing to create a system in which tribes have a direct management role in the river’s salmon...
Tribe asserts DV jurisdiction over non-Indians
The U.S. Department of Justice has reported that American Indian women “are more than 2.5 more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than women in the USA in general”. The DOJ also reports, per its Bureau of Justice Statistics, that at least 70 percent of the “violent victimizations experienced…
What is Section 17?
It’s been over a year since Tribal Council passed a resolution (No. 182 — 2014) authorizing a draft to be crafted for a Section 17 corporate charter for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The main goal, per Res. No. 182, “is seeking economic diversification” that will benefit the Tribe into the…
Cheyenne River Youth Project's Garden Evolving Into Micro Farm
When the Cheyenne River Youth Project started its organic garden in 1999, staff at the 26-year-old nonprofit would never have guessed where the little garden would take them. The two-acre Winyan Toka Win–or “Leading Lady”–garden is the heart of the youth project, and is becoming a micro farm.…
How Can Tribes Relate to Off-Reservation Citizens Better? Study Aims to Help
How do you define “home?” “Home is where one starts from” is one explanation, while another states, “Our feet may leave home, but not our hearts.” Where you call home is especially important to Native Americans who have left the familiarity of where they grew up among fellow tribal members and…
Native Language: Pathway to Traditions, Self-Identity
Stacey Burns says a transformation has taken place within the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony from something as old as the Washoe, Paiute and Shoshone tribes themselves: their native languages...
Bureau delegates authority to Colville law enforcement
At the request of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Bureau of Reclamation is delegating authority to enforce federal laws on Reclamation lands within the exterior boundary of the Colville Reservation to certified Tribal police officers. The delegation of authority does not…
Catalyx and Ramona Tribe Start Work on 100% Off-Grid Renewable Energy Eco Tourism Resort
Catalyx, Inc. has been contracted to be the technology provider and will team with the Ramona Band of the Cahuilla Indian Tribe to develop the Tribe's Eco-Tourism resort near Anza, Calif. The first of its kind, the Ramona Band of Cahuilla Mission Native Americans' resort is designed as a 100% off-…
Tribes reach key milestone with jurisdiction provisions of VAWA
The tribal jurisdiction provisions of the the Violence Against Women Act became effective nationwide on Saturday, clearing the path for non-Indians to be held accountable for abusing their Indian partners. Congress enacted S.47 to recognize tribal authority to arrest, prosecute and punish non-…
Northwest Indian College builds Lummi workforce, values tradition
For thousands of years, along the shorelines of the Salish Sea, the Lummi people have dug deep into the earth to harvest clams, oysters and mussels. We have set our reef nets between our canoes to catch salmon from the Salish Sea. For many of us, our most important education has been alongside our…
Hopes of preserving Cherokee language rest with children
Kevin Tafoya grew up hearing Cherokee all around him – his mother, a grandmother and grandfather, aunts and an uncle all spoke the language that now is teetering on the edge of extinction. Yet his mother purposely didn’t teach him. “She told us she had a hard time in school transitioning from…
Strengthening the role of Native CDFIs: A conversation with Gerald Sherman of the Native CDFI Network
Roughly 8 percent of the 917 community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the U.S. are categorized as Native CDFIs (NCDFIs), which means they serve primarily American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian communities. Due to a mixture of historical, political, and geographical…
Cass Board, Leech Lake Tribal Council highlight cooperative efforts
The cooperation and partnerships between Cass County and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in recent years have not only been successful but apparently are highly unusual, both state- and nationwide. Time and again at the April 24 joint meeting of the county board and tribal council, at Northern Lights…
New Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Formed to Give Alaska Tribes a Say
Alaska reminds me of Washington state. Let me qualify that. Alaska reminds me of Washington state before the mid-1970s. Back then the region was deeply divided over treaty rights, salmon, and even the definition of what it meant to be an American Indian in modern times. The official state…
Indian Country must put more effort in public relations
While sipping my morning coffee I began reading a White House document titled “2014 Native Youth Report.” As with every other tribal member, I am aware of the long-standing socio-economic quagmire we have been enduring. The fact that we are still alive and well is short of miraculous and thought…
Political Autonomy and Sustainable Economy
A unique attribute of Indian political ways was noted early on by colonial observers. Indians, Indigenous Peoples more generally, were engaged in everyday political action as full participating community members. Every person had the right to be heard. Decisions were made through discussion and…
Northern California Tribe Harnesses Sun and Wind for Renewable Energy System
It’s sunny and windy on the northern coast of California. So why not put these elements to good use to help power a reservation, expand energy independence and reduce the carbon footprint? That’s the thinking behind the decision by the 577-member Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria to…