Indigenous Governance Database
Presentations
Frank Pommersheim: Constitutions: Powers, Implementation, and Interpretation
University of South Dakota Professor of Law Frank Pommersheim discusses the fundamental difference between a plenary power constitution and a reserved or enumerated powers constitution, and recommends that Native nations think very carefully about constitutional implementation and interpretation…
James R. Gray: Educating and Engaging the Community: What Works?
James R. Gray, former Chief of the Osage Nation, discusses leadership and governmental reform through educating and engaging the community. This video resource is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Bush Foundation.
Rebecca Miles: What I Wish I Knew Before I Took Office
Nez Perce Tribe Executive Director Rebecca Miles discusses the challenges she faced as the first-ever chairwoman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, and the strategies she used in order to govern effectively and make informed decisions.
Honoring Nations: Carolyn Finster: Pine Hill Health Center
Pine Hill Health Center Clinic Administrator Carolyn Finster shares the story of how the Navajo people of Ramah capitalized on Public Law 93-638 to take over the education of their children and then their health care through the Pine Hill Health Center, which among other things has introduced…
Honoring Nations: Sarah Hicks: NCAI and the Partnership for Tribal Governance
Former NCAI Policy Research Center Director Sarah Hicks discusses the growth of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and specifically its recent initiatives to support the nation-building and advocacy efforts of Native nations.
Honoring Nations: Gabriel Lopez: Ak-Chin Community Council Task Force
Ak-Chin Indian Community Council Member Gabriel Lopez discusses why the Community decided to establish the Ak-Chin Community Council Task Force, and shares how the Task Force works to protect the cultural and environmental integrity of the Ak-Chin community, reservation and surrounding lands.
Honoring Nations: Shannon Martin: Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways
Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways Director Shannon Martin presents a history of the Ziibiwing Center and discusses the work it has been engaged in since it won an Honoring Nations award in 2006.
Honoring Nations: Duane Champagne: Government-to-Government Relations
UCLA American Indian Studies Professor Duane Champagne briefly discusses the history and importance of intergovernmental relationships for Native nations, spotlighting th Flandreau Police Department as a striking contemporary example.
Honoring Nations: Gabriel Lopez and Shannon Martin: Government-to-Government Relations (Q&A)
Gabriel Lopez and Shannon Martin field questions from the audience about their nations' Honoring Nations award-winning programs.
Herminia Frias: Engaging the Nation's Citizens and Effecting Change
Herminia Frias, former Chairwoman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, discusses the citizen engagement challenges she encountered when she took office as an elected leader of her nation, and shares some effective strategies that she used to engage her constituents and mobilize their participation in and…
Honoring Nations: James R. Gray: Sovereignty Today
Former Osage Nation Principal Chief James R. Gray discusses what sovereignty means today through the lens of his first term in office under his nation's new system of government.
Honoring Nations: John McCoy: Sovereignty Today
Now-former Quil Ceda Village Director John McCoy talks about how and why the Tulalip Tribes established Quil Ceda Village, and also reflects on his tenure serving in the State of Washington Legislature.
Honoring Nations: James R. Gray, Rick Hill and John McCoy: Sovereignty Today (Q&A)
Native leaders John McCoy, James R. Gray, and Rick Hill discuss the importance of Native nations joining forces to engage in economic development, and also why it is so important for Native nations and people to buy from their own.
Honoring Nations: Rick Hill: Sovereignty Today
Former Oneida Nation Business Committee Chairman Rick Hill offers his perspectives on sovereignty today through the lens of the challenges facing his nation and the strategies theyr employing to achieve their nation-building goals.
Darrin Old Coyote: Reforming the Apsaalooke (Crow) Nation's Governing System: What Did We Do and Why Did We Do It?
Vice Secretary Darrin Old Coyote of the Crow Tribe's Executive Branch provides a brief history of the Crow Tribe's governance system, and explains the factors that prompted the Tribe to abandon its governance system in 2001 and replace it with a new constitution and system of government entirely of…
Virgil Edwards: How Are We Going About Remaking Our Constitution?
Blackfeet Constitution Reform Committee Member Virgil Edwards discusses the process the Blackfeet Nation devised to reform its constitution, and describes how politics ultimately derailed the process before it could produce a new constitution for the Blackfeet people. This video resource is…
Greg Gilham: Engaging the Nation's Citizens and Effecting Change: The Blackfeet Nation Story
Greg Gilham, Former Chair of the Blackfeet Nation's Constitution Reform Committee, discusses the process the committee developed to move constitutional reform forward.
Ron His Horse Is Thunder: The Keys to Effective Governance and Economic Development: Predictability and Sustainability
Former Chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Ron His Horse Is Thunder discusses why predictability and sustainability are so critical to effective Native nation governance and economic development.
Regis Pecos: The Role of Core Values in Cochiti Governance and Renewal
In this excerpted video, former Cochiti Governor Regis Pecos provides an overview of the core values that are integral to Cochiti's culture and way of life, and shows how his people relied on the application of those core values to overcome a catastrophe and rebuild its nation and community. This…
David Wilkins: Patterns in American Indian Constitutions
University of Minnesota American Indian Studies Professor David Wilkins provides a comprehensive overview of the resiliency of traditional governance systems among Native nations in the period leading up to the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA), and shares some data about the types of…