Indigenous Governance Database
Leadership
NCFNG: Youth and First Nation Governance
Satsan (Herb George), President of the National Centre for First Nation Governance, talks about the importance of involving youth in Nation Rebuilding.
2012 NCAI State of Indian Nations
Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) delivers the 2012 State of Indian Nations Address. The nationally webcast and radio address delivered just days after the 2012 State of the Union Address by President Obama, charts a path for tribes to play a vital role…
Stephen Cornell: Two Approaches to Building Strong Native Nations
Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Co-Director Stephen Cornell presents the research findings of the Harvard Project and the Native Nations Institute, specifically the two general approaches that Native nations pursue in an effort to achieve sustainable community and economic…
Indigenous Governance Toolkit
The Indigenous Governance Toolkit is an online resource developed for Indigenous nations, communities, individuals and organisations searching for information to build their governance. It covers all the basics — your rules, values, culture, membership, leadership, and decision making — and has…
Development of a Kaupapa Maori Governance Model from a Literature Review and Key Informant Interviews
Kaupapa MÄori sets the theoretical framework within which ideas and research about governance were explored. This review incorporated both indigenous and non-indigenous governance literature. This set the scene for interviews with six key informants with MÄori who are knowledgeable about…
Indigenous Women and Governance in Guatemala
The concept of governance goes beyond institutional relations to encompass the integration and cohesion capacity of a particular political system. Hence, the effective functioning of the institutions of representative democracy is an important condition of governance, but it does not satisfy its…
Report on Best Practices in Developing Effective Processes of American Indian Constitutional Reform
The Executive Session on American Indian Constitutional Reform is a national working group of constitutional reformers from 12 American Indian nations and leading academics. The Executive Session meets twice a year to rethink strategies for strengthening tribal constitutions and constitution-making…
Rethinking Rewriting: Tribal Constitutional Amendment and Reform
This essay examines the recent wave of American Indian tribal constitutional change through the framework of subnational constitutional theory. When tribes rewrite their constitutions, they not only address internal tribal questions and communicate tribal values, but also engage with other…
Traditional Governance: A Case Study of the Osoyoos Indian Band and Application of Okanagan Leadership Principles
There are traditional Okanagan governance and leadership principles and guidelines that have been informed through language terms and traditional stories. These have been interpreted and taught to us by our elders of the Okanagan Nation. Five principles of traditional Okanagan leadership will be…
Valuing Tradition: Governance, Cultural Match, and the BC Treaty Process
Self-governance negotiations are an integral part of British Columbia’s modern day treaty process. At some treaty tables, impasses have resulted from differences on how to include traditional First Nations governance within treaty. Although some First Nations are determined to pursue traditional…
Muscogee Constitutional Jurisprudence: Vhakv Em Pvtakv (The Carpet Under The Law)
In 1974, a group of Mvskoke citizens from Oklahoma sued the federal government in federal court. Hanging in the balance was the future of Mvskoke self-determination. The plaintiffs insisted that their 1867 Constitution remained in full effect, and that they still governed themselves pursuant to it…
Higher Education & Workforce Development: Leveraging Tribal Investments to Advance Community Goals
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Policy Research Center's 2010 Tribal Research Priorities Survey reported that education and economic development are top research priorities for tribes. Respondents noted their interest in research and resources regarding how to: (1) create jobs and…
Community-Led Development
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept and practice of community-led development. It is an approach to tackling local problems that is taking hold throughout the world. While its expression may vary depending upon the community and the specific area of focus, there are nonetheless some…
Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship: Success Factors and Challenges
Aboriginal people (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) and their communities in the north face many obstacles and challenges. There are, however, tremendous opportunities to promote and enhance Aboriginal participation in the economy. Aboriginal youth entrepreneurs are key to building a healthy…
Journey to Economic Independence: B.C. First Nations' Perspectives
There are two approaches to economic development being pursued by the participant First Nations. One is creation of an economy through support for local entrepreneurs and the development of their individual enterprises (i.e. Westbank First Nation). The other is creation of an economy through…
Minding Our Own Businesses: how to create support in First Nations communities for Aboriginal Business
The purpose of the project was to investigate what other First Nations have done to support their small business operators, and to create a process to look at what could be done in your community...
Northern Cheyenne Tribe: Traditional Law and Constitutional Reform
This profile by Sheldon C. Spotted Elk examines the U.S. government's infringement on the Northern Cheyenne's political sovereignty. Most significantly, it examines the relationship between the oral history of the Northern Cheyenne and its impact on traditional tribal governance and law. Following…
Effective Tools for Communications and Leadership in Indian Country
A thirty-six page toolkit, this NCAI publication outlines the tools, tactics, and strategies from tribal communications experts. The toolkit aims to help tribal leaders and Indian Country advocates in ever changing media and communications landscape.
Native Organizations: Working Together for Our Common Benefit
On November 14, 2010, 45 people gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the NCAI's Annual Convention to participate in the pre-session: "Native Organizations; Working Together for Our Common Benefit." This twelve-page report outlines the key findings from this meeting - highlighting communications…
Leadership and Communications in Indian Country
This four-page report outlines the key findings from interviews with five tribal leaders and tribal communications officers across the country. The conversations focused on exploring how communications helps in their daily work, how the communications playing field has changed over the years and…