Indigenous Governance Database
News and Opinion
Cherokee Nation '99 Constitution Incorporated Older Ideas
Before the Cherokee Nation 1999 Constitution was ratified by voters in 2003 and recognized by the federal government in 2006, the tribe was governed under different laws that required extensive input and oversight by Cherokees when they decided to rewrite the document in 1995. Under the 1975…
ANCSA at 50: America’s Forgotten Indigenous Rights Movement
Fifty years ago, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act passed into law. In one historic piece of legislation, Indigenous Alaskans’ claims to the land were extinguished and a new Indigenous legal landscape was formed. In exchange, Alaska Native communities received title to 44 million acres of…
Strengthening Financial Avenues in Native American Communities
Historically, Native communities defined currencies by their food, relationships, nature and tools to sustain a living. Over time, Native and Indigenous populations gave way to the use of paper money. These new social standards pushed them to adopt different ways to sustain their living, often,…
Sharing the Wealth
In recent years, there has been increased discussion of Universal Basic Income (UBI) programs for the US. In fact, one of the Democratic candidates for president has championed the UBI program as an important component of his platform. UBI in its simplest form is a cash-transfer program that…
Constitution proposed for Cherokee
Cherokee voters will have the chance to give their nation a long-awaited constitution if Tribal Council approves a referendum question proposed for the September ballot. “Right now we don’t have a constitution. We have a charter, and a charter is for an organization, a corporation or something of…
Why citizen engagement and assessment matter to developing a tribal workforce
Distilling lessons learned from that endeavor, PTG identified 15 strategic considerations that tribal leaders, workforce development staff, and other decision-makers must tackle as they craft workforce development approaches capable of achieving their definition of what “success” looks like for…
Closing the loop and advancement are key to developing tribal workforces
Distilling lessons learned from that endeavor, PTG identified 15 strategic considerations that tribal leaders, workforce development staff, and other decision-makers must tackle as they craft workforce development approaches capable of achieving their definition of what “success” looks like for…
Tribal Workforce Development: A Decision-Framing Toolkit
This toolkit shares the main findings of NCAI’s multi-year research project examining the innovative approaches to workforce development that tribal nations along with Native organizations and tribal colleges and universities are forging, how they are achieving success (as they define it), and why…
Partnerships and sustainability are key to developing tribal workforces
Distilling lessons learned from that endeavor, PTG identified 15 strategic considerations that tribal leaders, workforce development staff, and other decision-makers must tackle as they craft workforce development approaches capable of achieving their definition of what “success” looks like for…
Why leadership and funding matter to developing a tribal workforce
Distilling lessons learned from that endeavor, PTG identified 15 strategic considerations that tribal leaders, workforce development practitioners, and other decision-makers must tackle as they craft workforce development approaches capable of achieving their definition of what “success” looks like…
Why culture and institutions matter to developing a tribal workforce
In its multi-year project examining tribal workforce development approaches across the country, NCAI’s Partnership for Tribal Governance (PTG) worked to identify and document key foundational strategies that are empowering tribal innovation and, in turn, workforce development success. Distilling…
Why strategic vision and integration matter to developing a tribal workforce
In its multi-year project examining tribal workforce development approaches across the country, NCAI’s Partnership for Tribal Governance (PTG) worked to identify and document key foundational strategies that are empowering tribal innovation and, in turn, workforce development success...
Tribal workforce development: Success starts with governance
A movement is sweeping across Indian Country. Over the past several decades, a growing number of tribal nations have reclaimed their right to govern their own affairs, and are slowly but surely charting brighter futures of their own making. Wrestling primary-decision making authority away from the…
The Indian Reorganization Act at 80 years
At Pine Ridge, daily controversy surrounds the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934. Congress enacted the IRA on June 18, 1934. However, the voting requirement was drastically altered just three days prior. This amendment (H.R. 7781, 49 Stat., 378) dated June 15, 1934, lowered the overall voting…
New Alaska Native Business Powerhouse Assembled In Alaska's Arctic
Representatives of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), NANA Regional Corporation (NANA) and Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) are announcing the establishment of the Iñuit Arctic Business Alliance (IABA). IABA's mission is to provide a unified voice, collective vision, guidelines and…
Bureau delegates authority to Colville law enforcement
At the request of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Bureau of Reclamation is delegating authority to enforce federal laws on Reclamation lands within the exterior boundary of the Colville Reservation to certified Tribal police officers. The delegation of authority does not…
Native Language: Pathway to Traditions, Self-Identity
Stacey Burns says a transformation has taken place within the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony from something as old as the Washoe, Paiute and Shoshone tribes themselves: their native languages...
How Can Tribes Relate to Off-Reservation Citizens Better? Study Aims to Help
How do you define “home?” “Home is where one starts from” is one explanation, while another states, “Our feet may leave home, but not our hearts.” Where you call home is especially important to Native Americans who have left the familiarity of where they grew up among fellow tribal members and…
Cheyenne River Youth Project's Garden Evolving Into Micro Farm
When the Cheyenne River Youth Project started its organic garden in 1999, staff at the 26-year-old nonprofit would never have guessed where the little garden would take them. The two-acre Winyan Toka Win–or “Leading Lady”–garden is the heart of the youth project, and is becoming a micro farm.…
Tribal Governments Come In Many Forms
When the U.S. and Canadian governments suggest and support Western-style governments for indigenous nations, they are trying to improve Native government and make it more compatible with national government. Indigenous nations have diverse political arrangements and forms of government. When…