Constitutions

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Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians Constitution

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians Constitution

Location: On the upper portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan Population: 4102 Date of Constitution: 1988 Key Facts: One of the first casino tribes

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Gila River Indian Community Constitution

Gila River Indian Community Constitution

Location: approximately 34 miles south of the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. Population: 11,257 Date of Constitution: 1960

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Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe Constitution

Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe Constitution

Location: Nevada, Oregon Population: 700 Date of Constitution: 1936

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Fort Belknap Indian Community Constitution

Fort Belknap Indian Community Constitution

Location: Montana Population: 7,000 Date of Constitution: 1935 Key Facts: This version of the constitution is from the tribe’s website. Please note that the National Indian Law Library’s site indicates an amended version exists.

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Ely Shoshone Tribe Constitution

Ely Shoshone Tribe Constitution

Location: Nevada Population: 500 Date of Constitution: 1966, as amended 1990 Preamble: We, the Ely Shoshone Indians of Nevada, located at Ely, Nevada, to exercise our traditional and historical inherent sovereign powers and to improve the constitution previously adopted, pursuant to the Indian…

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Douglas Indian Association Constitution

Douglas Indian Association Constitution

Location: Alaska Population: 600 Date of Constitution: 1941 Presamble: We, a group of Indians having a common bond of occupation in Arts and Crafts, and the Fishing Industry, including the catching, processing and sale of fish, and the building of fish boats and equipment, belonging to Douglas…

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Coquille Indian Tribe Constitution

Coquille Indian Tribe Constitution

Location: Oregon Population: 968 Date of Constitution: 1991, as amended 2008 Preamble: Our ancestors since the beginning of time have lived and died on the Coquille aboriginal lands and waters.  The Coquille Indian Tribe is and has always been a sovereign self-governing power dedicated to…

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Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon Constitution

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon Constitution

Location: Oregon Population: 4800 Date of Constitution: 1979, as amended 1994 and 2008 Purposes: Oregon 4800 1979, as amended 1994 and 2008 We, the members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, being a federally recognized Indian tribe and the political successor in interest to…

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Structuring Sovereignty Constitutions of Native Nations

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Constitution

Location: Montana Population: 7,000 Date of Constitution: 1935 Preamble: We, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Montana, in order to establish a more responsible organization, promote our general welfare, conserve and develop our lands and resources, and secure…

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Citizen Potawatomi Nation Constitution

Citizen Potawatomi Nation Constitution

Citizen Potawatomi Nation is located in Oklahoma with a population of 29,000 people. The constitution was enacted in 1938 and amended in 1985 and 2007. Preamble: We, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, sometimes designated as the Potawatomi Tribe of Oklahoma, in furtherance of our inherent powers…

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Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Constitution

Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Constitution

The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana is located in Southern Louisiana with a population of 950 people. The constitution was enacted in 1970 and amended in 2009 and 2010.  Preamble: We, the Chitimacha Indians of Louisiana, desiring to establish an organization for our common welfare and benefit,…

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Chilkat Indian Village Constitution

Chilkat Indian Village Constitution

The Chilkat Indian Village is located in Southeastern Alaska with a population of 140 people. The constitution was enacted in 2006. The village was involved in a famous cultural property case about Whale House rain screen and totem poles. Preamble: We, a sovereign community of Tlingit Indians…

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Chickasaw Nation Constitution

Chickasaw Nation Constitution

Chickasaw Nation is located in Oklahoma with a population of 49,000 people. The constitution was enacted in 1983 and amended in 2002.   Preamble: We, the people of the Chickasaw Nation, acknowledging with gratitude the grace and beneficence of God, in permitting us to make choice of our…

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Blackfeet Nation Constitution

Blackfeet Nation Constitution

The Blackfeet Nation is located in Northern Montana at the Canadian border. It has a population of 16,500 people and the tribe was artificially divided by the U.S.-Canadian border. The constitution was enacted in 1934 and amended in 1962, 1978, and 1998. PREAMBLE: We, the adult members of the…

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Alabama and Coushatta Tribes of Texas Constitution

Alabama and Coushatta Tribes of Texas Constitution

The Alabama and Coushatta Tribes of Texas is located in East Texas with a population of 1,000 individuals. Their constitution was ratified in 1938. The federal government terminated its relationship with the tribe in 1954 and restored federal recognition in 1987. Preamble: We, the Alabama and…

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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…

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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.

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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. 

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Klamath Tribes: Preamble Excerpt

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 preservation…

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Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians: Governmental Structure Excerpt

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…