Indigenous Governance Database
The Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development
Morongo Tutoring Program
The Morongo Tutoring Program is one of the reasons the high school graduation rate of Morongo students is now at approximately ninety percent, the highest in tribal history. By providing much more than tutoring services, including life skills for early childhood through high school development;…
Navajo Studies Department
Created in 1966 as the first contract school in the country, Rough Rock is a Navajo-run institution that combines traditional Navajo learning with Western education. Its Navajo Studies curriculum, which addresses such subjects as culture, history, and language, was named by the Tribal Council as…
Navajo Methamphetamine Task Force
Taking a proactive stance on policy issues, options, and recommendations in the areas of prevention, treatment, and/or enforcement, the Methamphetamine Task Forces actively combat a tidal wave of destruction within their communities. Drawing upon education, community involvement, cultural…
Navajo Nation Archaeology Department Training Programs
The Navajo Nation Archaeology Department was created in 1977 to facilitate historic preservation on Navajo Nation lands as mandated by both US and tribal government legislation. In 1988 and again in 1993, the Department expanded to include training programs, undertaken in partnership with Northern…
Chilkoot Tlingit "Nation Building"
Excluded by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Chilkoot Tlingit are engaged in a process of nation-building. The process began in 1990 with the revival of their dormant tribal government, the Chilkoot Indian Association (CIA). From this institutional foundation, the 480-member CIA…
Navajo Nation's Na'Nizhoozhi Center, Inc.
Responding to the distressing rates of accidents, deaths, and other alcohol-related problems in Gallup, NM, the Navajo Nation partnered with Zuni Pueblo, the City of Gallup, McKinley County, and the State of New Mexico to establish the Na’Nizhoozhi Center in 1992. The Center has been an effective…
Minnesota 1837 Ceded Territory Conservation Code (Mille Lacs)
In 1997, the Band successfully developed a conservation code that enables the Tribe to exercise its treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather. The Code sets out detailed hunting and fishing regulations for Band members that protect the natural resources while allowing for the continuation of…
Migizi Business Camp (Little River Band)
In 1994, after 120 years of struggle, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians finally re-obtained federal recognition. Ever since, tribal priorities included strengthening self-governance and the tribal economy. Their economic strategy followed two paths: the development of tribal enterprises and…
Makah Cultural Education and Revitalization Program
The Cultural Education and Revitalization Program serves as the hub of the community and stewards of a world class museum collection. Keen efforts and awareness demonstrated by staff and community members make this Center unique. Programs are truly guided by the needs of the Nation and its citizens…
Kake Circle Peacemaking
Restoring its traditional method of dispute resolution, the Organized Village of Kake adopted Circle Peacemaking as its tribal court in 1999. Circle Peacemaking brings together victims, wrongdoers, families, religious leaders, and social service providers in a forum that restores relationships and…
Lac du Flambeau's Intercultural Leadership Initiative
A generation of racial conflict makes it difficult for students from the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians to succeed at the district high school. Since 1998, the Intercultural Leadership Initiative has provided academic and social opportunities, promoted understanding and…
Puyallup's Institutionalized Quality Improvement Program
Following a major tribally-initiated restructuring in the early 1980s that created a quality improvement committee and a flatter organizational structure, the PTHA has increased patient access for urgent care visits, reduced "no show" rates, created clinical objectives, increased dental treatments…
Hopi Child Care Program
The Hopi Child Care Program assists families in accessing quality care for children of parents pursuing education and those with work demands that keep them away from home. Understanding the importance of early childhood development coupled with the need for culturally appropriate care, Hopi…
Diné (Navajo) Local Governance Projects
Formed in 1989 by the Navajo Nation Council, the Office of Navajo Government Development works with the Diné people and their elected leaders to conduct government reform, foster the incorporation of Navajo culture and tradition into the Navajo Nation Code, and facilitate the transference of…
Coeur d'Alene Tribal Wellness Center
Created in 1998, the Wellness Center aims to promote healthy lifestyles by offering programs in fitness, aquatics, rehabilitation, childcare, and community health to 3,000 Indian and non-Indian clients. By employing the medicine wheel, or whole-life, approach to health and by focusing on…
Umatilla Homeownership: Financial, Credit and Consumer Protection Program
Recognizing the necessary links between promoting a strong economy, maintaining positive cultural connections, and the ability to own a home, the Umatilla Housing Authority promotes the "Wapayatat" Homeownership: Financial, Credit and Consumer Protection Program. The seven-week course provides…
Choctaw Community Injury Prevention Program
Responding to alarming rates of preventable accidents on its reservation, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw created a comprehensive community injury prevention program in 2001. Through seat belt and child safety seat campaigns, strict enforcement of motor vehicle laws, and community-wide education…
Choctaw Health Center
After transferring all health care decisions from Indian Health Services to tribal control over a ten-year period, the Band significantly improved its health care delivery system. Its state-of-the-art Health Center provides health and dental care, behavioral health care and community health…
San Carlos Apache Elders Cultural Advisory Council
The Elders Cultural Advisory Council was formed by a resolution of the San Carlos Tribal Council in 1993 to advise on culturally related matters, to consult with off-reservation entities, and to administer and oversee cultural preservation activities. As a source of traditional wisdom, the Elders…
Grand Traverse Band's Land Claims Distribution Trust Fund
After 26 years of negotiation with the US government over how monies from a land claims settlement would be distributed, the Band assumed financial control over the settlement by creating a Trust Fund system that provides annual payments in perpetuity to Band elders for supplementing their social…