Tribal Citizenship Conference, November 13, 2013

The Indian Law Program at the William Mitchell College of Law, in conjunction with the Bush Foundation, hosted the Tribal Citizenship Conference on November 13, 2013 in St. Paul, Minnesota. This conference was designed to include a broad discussion of issues pertaining to tribal citizenship and, most importantly, to engage tribal leaders in this discussion. Topics included: traditional conceptions of citizenship with an emphasis on tribal languages, the role of the Indian Reorganization Act in altering traditional conceptions of citizenship, the choice between using lineal descendancy or blood quantum to determine citizenship criteria, other potential citizenship requirements, such as residency, the legal means of effectuating changes in citizenship criteria (e.g., constitutional revisions, adoption ordinances), and issues relating to banishment or disenrollment. The Indigenous Governance Database features selected presentations and Q&A sessions from this conference, featured below.

Selected Presentations and Q&A Sessions:

Citizenship: Culture, Language and Law

Bethany Berger: Citizenship: Culture, Language and Law

John Borrows: Anishinaabe Principles of Citizenship and Identity

Stephen Cornell: Creating Citizens: A Fundamental Nation-Rebuilding Challenge

John Borrows and Stephen Cornell: Citizenship: Culture, Language, and Law (Q&A)

Defining Citizenship: Blood Quantum vs. Descendancy

Matthew Fletcher: Defining Citizenship: Blood Quantum vs. Descendancy

Jill Doerfler: Defining Citizenship: Blood Quantum vs. Descendancy

Jill Doerfler and Matthew Fletcher: Defining Citizenship: Blood Quantum vs. Descendancy (Q&A)

Other Citizenship Requirements?

Lenor Scheffler: The Lower Sioux Indian Community's Approach to Citizenship

Sarah Deer: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation's Approach to Citizenship

Mechanisms of Constitutional Reform

Vanya Hogen: Redefining Citizenship Criteria Through Constitutional Reform and Other Means

Disenrollment

Deborah Locke: Disenrollment: My Personal Story

Shawn Frank: Disenrollment: Considerations of Process

Sharon Day: Disenrollment: Contemplating a More Inclusive Approach

Sharon Day, Shawn Frank and Deborah Locke: Disenrollment (Q&A)

These video resources are featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Bush Foundation.