Indigenous Governance Database
Governance
Saving the Ocean: River of Kings, Part 1
An unusual coalition of tribal leaders, private partners and government agencies is working to restore Washington's Nisqually River from its source in the glaciers of Mount Rainier to the estuary that empties into Puget Sound. Led by the Nisqually tribe, the restoration aims to fill the river once…
Truth To Tell: Community Connections - White Earth Constitutional Forum Part II
In collaboration with production partner KKWE/Niijii Radio, TruthToTell and CivicMedia/Minnesota traveled west on August 14, 2013, to the White Earth Reservation to air/televise the seventh in our series of LIVE Community Connections forums on critical Minnesota issues. Convened at White Earth's…
Tohoho O'odham Nation Used as Model For Tribal Governance
The Tohono O'odham Nation, which is in Southern Arizona and northern Mexico, has a tribal governance structure that other Native nations can learn from, and that's why the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona is featuring the tribe in some of its courses about governance. The…
Why Treaties Matter: Video Gallery
This video gallery serves as a companion piece to "Why Treaties Matter - Self Government in the Dakota and Ojibwe Nations," a travelling exhibit on treaties between Dakota and Ojibwe people and the U.S. It features testimonies from Native nation leaders and citizens about many of the exhibit's main…
A Way Out of Conflict
"A Way Out of Conflict" is a short documentary film that provides an overview of how traditional dispute resolution approaches and strategies operate in Hopi communities today. It examines how the Hopi villages retain and exercise authority over the adjudication of certain types of disputes…
Native American Lands and the Supreme Court
Tribal judge and legal scholar Angela Riley (Citizen Potawatomi) spoke in the U.S. Supreme Court chamber about the history of the Supreme Court and Native American lands. The lecture was one in a series hosted by the Supreme Court Historical Society on the Constitution, the Supreme Court, and…
Vine Deloria's Last Video Interview
American Indian author, theologian, historian, and activist Vine Deloria, Jr. (1933-2005) talks with documentary film producer Grant Crowell about traditional Indigenous governance systems and criteria for citizenship, the impact of colonial policies on tribal citizenship (specifically the effects…
Videos: White Earth Nation Constitutional Reform
As part of its ongoing process of educating the White Earth people and others about White Earth's proposed new constitution, White Earth Nation's Constitutional Education Team produced several videos for White Earth citizens to view in order to gain a better understanding of the key governance…
The Rez We Live On
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes produced this series of online videos in an effort to dispel untruths about life on the Flathead reservation in Montana. Consisting of 10 short, graphically based videos on topics ranging from Sovereignty to Taxes, "The Rez We Live On" site is geared…
MOU Membertou Circle of Governance
This short documentary looks at the Membertou First Nation and their efforts to become debt-free, attract new development to their area, and eliminate government dependency.
Tradition and Governance: Tom Happynook
Tom Happynook of Huu-ay-ut First Nation explains how traditional leaders are raised to learn the qualities and values of leadership. He also explains how traditional governance in his community is more democratic than the Canadian election process.
Tsawwassen First Nation: Law and Policy
Tsawwassen's story about creating laws and policies after their historic treaty signing provides important insight for all First Nations who wish to develop laws and policy.
Gitanyow Nation: Land Use Planning to Protect their Territories
Gitanyow citizens, a nation with a strong system of hereditary chiefs, talk about the impacts of development on their traditional lands and how their land use plan has helped protect their territories.
Planting the Seeds...for Our Children's Future: The Hopi Education Endowment Fund
This seven-minute video presents the founding, development, and current work of the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF), which won an Honoring Nations award (High Honors) from the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development in 2006. The video chronicles HEEF's work in support of…
NCFNG: Governance and Cultural Match
Taken from a 2008 event hosted by the National Centre for First Nations Governance, this video looks at the question: "How does a First Nation match governance with their culture and traditions?"
Chief Dale Awasis: Thunderchild First Nation
Chief Awasis of ThunderChild First Nation talks about traditional governance from before contact, Indian Act governance and how some nations are beginning to combine them into a third type of governance.
Native Report: Season 5: Episode 4
Come with us as we visit the Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington, D.C., and talk with National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel about its significance. We'll also meet Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry Echohawk about his first year in office. Then we'll sit down…
Tradition and Governance: Ron Thomas
Ron Thomas from Haudenosaunee / Six Nations talks about Haudenosaunee traditional governance, and the challenges of removing the Indian Act and replacing it with more traditional governance.
Joseph P. Kalt: The Nation-Building Renaissance in Indian Country: Keys to Success
Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Co-Director Joseph P. Kalt presents on the Native nation-building renaissance taking root across in Indian Country, and shares some stories of success.
NCFNG: Implementing Independent Governance
This video, taken from a 2008 conference hosted by the National Centre for First Nations Governance, provides some perspective on the question: "How does a First Nation implement their right to self-governance?"