Indigenous Governance Database
Citizenship/Membership
Where Tribal Justice Works
In 2011, a man in northeastern Oregon beat his girlfriend with a gun, using it like a club to strike her in front of their children. Both were members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The federal government, which has jurisdiction over major crimes in Indian Country,…
Two Possible Paths Forward for Native Disenrollees and the Federal Government?
Disenrollment, a seemingly innocuous term when used outside Indian country, has become a loaded word that rivals, if it does not surpass, “termination” as a concept that invokes fear and trembling in those natives who suffer its consequences. While the federal policy of termination in the 1950s was…
Hatching Economic Development: A New Business Incubator for Crow Creek
“I want to develop my breakfast-burrito business into a restaurant,” said Lisa Lengkeek, a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and 2013 winner of the South Dakota Indian Business Alliance contest for best business plan of the year. “I make the burritos at home and sell them at a stand. I have a…
Elderly Protection Teams Work to Stop Abuse
While more than 30 tribal governments across the country have implemented elder abuse codes, some Indian communities and concerned citizens have taken a more proactive role to ensure these laws are enforced. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council started the first Elderly Protection Team in Indian…
A clear and present danger to our tribal sovereignty
Indian law, sovereignty and jurisdiction are not “one size fits all” issues in Indian country. There are too many variations in how different states view the Indian nations within their borders and even in how the federal government treats issues of Indian sovereignty. With the surge in Indian…
Two Spirit/LGBT Rights Toolkit for Tribal Governments Introduced
A first-of-its-kind guide complete with sample legal language is now available for tribal governments to adopt or amend their laws to recognize the rights of all their citizens, including Two Spirit and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people...
Tribal Enrollment And Blood Quantum
Every tribe has its own rules for membership. Some tribes include lineal descent — proof that you descend from a recognized tribal member — while others have a blood quantum requirement that requires members possess a certain percentage of tribal blood. On White Earth, researchers found that the…
Nooksack Tribe Cites "Missing Ancestor" As Reason To Disenroll 306 Members
In Part Two of the KUOW story documenting the disenrollment of approximately 300 members from the Nooksack Tribe, Liz Jones takes a closer look at the Nooksack's process to disenroll members.
'We'll Always Be Nooksack': Tribe Questions Ancestry Of Part-Filipino Members
About 300 members from the Nooksack Tribe, near Bellingham, provide their perspective of being disenrolled by Nooksack Tribal Council because of their Nooksack and Filipino ancestry.
Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project
The Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project is helping to increase understanding of Native foods and build community food security by exploring the Muckleshoot Tribe's food assets and access to local, healthy, and traditional foods.
Build Our Nation Convention
A local television news program chronicles the effort of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to deliberate potential changes to its constitution and system of governance.
The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and its Application to Canadian Aboriginal Business
This lecture is part of a course Stephen Cornell is teaching in Simon Fraser University's Executive MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership program. A panel of three joined Dr. Cornell in a discussion about the building of First Nation economies and the role citizen entrepreneurship can play in…
The 2013 Narrm Oration: Taiaiake Alfred
The 2013 Narrm Oration, "Being and becoming Indigenous: Resurgence against contemporary colonialism", was delivered by Professor Taiaiake Alfred on 28 November. Professor Alfred is the founding Director of the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.…
SEEDocs - Owe'neh Bupingeh Preservation Plan and Rehabilitation Project
Re-creating a more vital Pueblo center and reinvigorating cultural heritage traditions through the rehabilitation of the historic Pueblo core was this project's focus. The Pueblo core is the spiritual, social and cultural center of the Pueblo. Community members were trained in traditional building…
Building a More Sustainable Future on Cheyenne River
This brief video showcases five of Four Bands Community Fund's loan clients who have used their loan proceeds to advance green and social entrepreneur concepts on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.
Indian Pride: Episode 112: Tribal Government Structure
This episode of the "Indian Pride" television series, aired in 2007, chronicles the governance structures of several Native nations in an effort to show the diversity of governance systems across Indian Country. It also features an interview with then-chairman Harold "Gus" Frank of the…
Four Bands Community Fund
As a nonprofit organization and a Native community development financial institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Treasury, Four Bands Community Fund continuously strives to achieve its mission of creating economic opportunity by helping people build strong and sustainable small businesses and…
Metro Week: Native American Youth Desire Ties to Homeland
Arizona has 21 American Indian tribes, and 5.3 percent of the state population reports tribal membership to the U.S. Census Bureau. Metro Week explores Native American culture and education. On the program: The Native Nations Institute, a research unit at the University of Arizona, surveyed young…
Indoodem: Who is a Red Lake Ojibwe, the Making of the Red Lake Constitution
Produced by the Red Lake Constitution Reform Committee, "Indoodem" provides Red Lake Nation citizens and others with information on clan systems and enrollment in the Red Lake Nation. The film documents the origins of blood quantum and traditional ways of knowing who was a part of the community.…
Bringing Our Children Home: An Introduction to the Indian Child Welfare Act
This six-minute trailer introduces viewers to a documentary film (currently in development) that examines the impact of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The documentary is the product of an ongoing collaboration between the Mississippi Courts, Child Welfare Agency, the Mississippi Band of…