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Best Practices Case Study (Cultural Alignment of Institutions): Teslin Tlingit Council

Situated in southern Yukon, the Teslin Tlingit people have a clan system of government. That clan system of government operated for years prior to the imposition of the Indian Act. Through the Indian Act, traditional governance was separated from formal decision-making power and authority. Then in…

Best Practices Case Study (Results-Based Organizations): First Nations & Inuit Home & Community Care

For more than 15 years, the lack of home care services relevant for First Nations and Inuit communities has been identified as a significant health and social issue. In response to this need, a Joint Health Canada / Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) / First Nations / Inuit…

Best Practices Case Study (Transparency and Fairness): Westbank First Nation

The Westbank First Nation is located in south-central British Columbia in the Okanagan Valley. In the mid-1980s, conflicts within the Westbank First Nation council created significant animosity among community members. The outcome was the Hall Inquiry which made recommendations around strengthening…

A Human Resource Capacity Tool for First Nations

This tool was developed by the British Columbia Treaty Commission (BCTC) to assist BC First Nations who are working through the treaty process with their Human Resource (HR) planning. It responds to a growing need for a practical, efficient tool for First Nations with diverse sets of priorities,…

British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Governance Toolkit: A Guide to Nation Building

The BCAFN is pleased to present the first edition of the BCAFN Governance Toolkit: A Guide to Nation Building in accordance with our Building on OUR Success action plan and the first pillar of that plan, "Strong and Appropriate Governance." The Toolkit is a comprehensive guide intended to assist…

Pacific Northwest Salmon Habitat: The Culvert Cases and the Power of Treaties

American Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest signed treaties with the federal government in the 1850's that preserved their right to fish in their "usual and accustomed" fishing grounds. The tribes have had to continually fight to have this right recognized. U.S. v. Washington, 1974, the Boldt…

The Last Stand: the Quinault Indian Nation's Path to Sovereignty and the Case of Tribal Forestry

This case tells a story of forestry management policies on the Quinault Reservation. In the early years, the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA) and later the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) acted like a landlord, allocating large timber sales to non-Indian timber companies. The Dawes Act fragmented the…

The Will of the People: Citizenship in the Osage Nation

This teaching case tells the story of Tony, one of nine Osage government reform commissioners placed in charge of determining the "will of the people" in reforming the government of the Osage Nation. Because of Congressional law the Osage Nation had been forced into an alien form of government for…

Back to the Bison Case Study Part II

After the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) made the decision to work towards signing a management agreement, they began discussions with United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1994 to pursue the co-management and joint operation of the National Bison Range Complex (NBRC) which…

Back to the Bison Case Study Part I

Thirty years after taking over the reins of forestry, recreation, wildlife and other natural resource operations on their reservation lands, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) established a reputation for environmental leadership in wildlife, wilderness, recreation and co-management…

The Peoplesâ€™ Forest: Emerging Strategies on the Mescalero Apache Forest Reserves

The Peoples' Forest: Emerging Strategies on the Mescalero Apache Forest Reserves

This case raises questions about how American Indian Tribes reshape the care of forests on Indian lands by coordinating science-based forestry methodology and traditional ecological knowledge to meet their goals. Working the case, students are challenged to look for ways that the Mescalero Apache…

Tribal Law as Indigenous Social Reality and Separate Consciousness: [Re]Incorporating Customs and Traditions into Tribal Law

At some point in my legal career, I recall becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the inconsistencies between the values in the written law of various indigenous nations and the values I knew were embedded in indigenous societies themselves. The two are not entirely in harmony, and in fact, in…

Federalism and the State Recognition of Native American Tribes: A Survey of State-Recognized Tribes and State Recognition Processes Across the United States

In the last few years, states and tribes have increasingly realized that state recognition can serve as an important, albeit limited, alternative to federal recognition. This realization is evidenced by the many states that have recently codified their state recognition processes or are planning to…

Why Treaties Matter: Relations: Dakota & Ojibwe Treaties

Ojibwe and Dakota people in what is now Minnesota signed dozens of treaties with the United States. Among these treaties are famous land cession agreements in which sovereign American Indian groups retained ownership or use of natural resources — land, water, timber, minerals — or transferred these…

Asatiwisipe Aki Management Plan

The Asatiwisipe Aki Management Plan arises from several earlier initiatives by Poplar River First Nation. Poplar River has completed a variety of studies for the planning area, including traditional knowledge and community history interviews with Elders, traditional land use studies, archaeological…

Improving Indigenous community governance through strengthening Indigenous and government organisational capacity

Strengthening the organisational capacity of both Indigenous and government organisations is critical to raising the health, wellbeing and prosperity of Indigenous Australian communities. Improving the governance processes of Indigenous organisations is likely to require strengthening of Indigenous…

CCP HANDBOOK Comprehensive Community Planning for First Nations in British Columbia

The First Nations of British Columbia have rich and varied cultures, histories and traditions. They are becoming increasingly involved in comprehensive community planning as a way of embracing change and planning a better future for their communities. Comprehensive community planning is a holistic…

Securing Our Futures

NCAI is releasing a Securing Our Futures report in conjunction with the 2013 State of Indian Nations. This report shows areas where tribes are exercising their sovereignty right now, diversifying their revenue base, and bringing economic success to their nations and surrounding communities. The…

Sovereignty Under Arrest? Public Law 280 and Its Discontents

Law enforcement in Indian Country has been characterized as a maze of injustice, one in which offenders too easily escape and victims are too easily lost (Amnesty International, 2007). Tribal, state, and federal governments have recently sought to amend this through the passage of the Tribal Law…

What Determines Indian Economic Success? Evidence from Tribal and Individual Indian Enterprises

Prior analysis of American Indian nations' unemployment, poverty, and growth rates indicates that poverty in Indian Country is a problem of institutions particularly political institutions, not a problem of economics per se. Using unique data on Indian-owned enterprises, this paper sheds light on…

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