Indigenous Governance Database
Constitutions and Constitutions Excerpts
Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians: Citizenship Excerpt
Article 7. Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens Section 1. All citizens of the Tribe are entitled to equal respect without regard to gender, age, or religion. All citizens shall enjoy equal opportunities to participate in the economic resources and activities of the Tribe, and no citizen shall…
Chilkat Indian Village: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE III — MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Defined: The membership of the Chilkat Indian Village shall consist of the following: (a) Original members.- All persons whose names appear on the 1940 census roll, prepared in accordance with the Instructions of the Secretary of the Interior for Organization in…
Comanche Nation: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP Section 1. The membership of the Comanche Nation shall consist of the following: (a) All persons, who received an allotment of land as members of the Comanche Nation under the Act of June 6, 1900 (31 Stat. 672), and subsequent Acts, shall be included as full blood members…
Tule River Indian Tribe: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE II-MEMBERSHIP SECTION 1. The membership of the Tule River Tribe shall consist of the following: (a) All persons of Indian blood whose names a pear on the official census rolls of the Tule River Indian Reservation as of January 1, 1935; (b) All children born to any member of the Tule…
Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE II -- MEMBERSHIP SECTION 1. The membership of the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe shall consist of-- (a) All original allottees at Fort McDermitt, and such of their descendants as do now maintain a bona-fide residence on the former Fort McDermitt Military Reserve. (b) Every child…
Citizen Potawatomi Nation: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE 3 — MEMBERSHIP OF TRIBE Section 1. The membership of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation shall consist of the following persons: (a) All persons of Indian blood who were bona fide members of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and who were enrolled or were entitled to be enrolled on the official census…
Osage Nation: Citizenship Excerpt
ARTICLE III - Membership: Section 1. Base membership roll: The base membership of the Osage Nation shall consist of those persons whose names appear on the final roll of the Osage Tribe of Indians pursuant to the Act of June 28, 1906 (34 Stat. 539). Section 2. Qualifications for membership: All…
Poarch Band of Creek Indians: Preamble Excerpt
PREAMBLE We, the members of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, acknowledging the powers of inherent and aboriginal tribal sovereignty, and exercising the right to self-determination, and with the desire to organize pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 476 and the Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat., 984), hereby adopt…
Haida Nation: Preamble Excerpt
HAIDA PROCLAMATION The Haida Nation is the rightful heir to Haida Gwaii. Our culture is born of respect; and intimacy with the land and sea and the air around us. Like the forests, the roots of our people are intertwined such that the greatest troubles cannot overcome us. We owe our existence to…
Hopi Tribe: Preamble Excerpt
Preamble: This Constitution, to be known as the Constitution and By-laws of the Hopi Tribe, is adopted by the self-governing Hopi and Tewa Villages of Arizona to provide a way of working together for peace and agreement between the villages, and of preserving the good things of Hopi life, and to…
Coquille Indian Tribe: Preamble Excerpt
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 selfgoverning power dedicated to: 1. Preservation of Coquille Indian Culture and Tribal Identity. 2.…
Mohegan Tribe: Preamble Excerpt
Preamble: We, The Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut answerable to our ancestors, in order to secure to ourselves and our descendants the management of our own affairs as a sovereign American Indian Nation, to ensure the maintenance of our basic human rights, to exercise our sovereign rights…
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians: Preamble Excerpt
Preamble: We, the members of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan, in order to organize for our common good, to govern ourselves under our own laws, to maintain and foster our tribal culture, to protect our homeland, to conserve and develop our natural…
Osage Nation: Preamble Excerpt
Preamble: We the W/\ ZA ZOK (Wah-zha-zhe), known as the Osage People, having formed as Clans in the far distant past, have been a People and as a People have walked this earth and enjoyed the blessings of Wah-kon-tah for more centuries than we truly know. Having resolved to live in harmony, we now…
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians: Preamble Excerpt
PREAMBLE IN THE WAYS OF OUR ANCESTORS, to perpetuate our way of life for future generations, we the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, called in our own language the WAGANAKISING ODAWAK, a sovereign, self-governing people who follow the Anishinaabe Traditions, Heritage, and Cultural Values…