Benefits of Sovereignty

The Ak-Chin Indian Community established its Community Council Task Force to review development plans for the lands surrounding the reservation. Using the Task Force as a knowledgeable point of contact, Ak-Chin communicates its interests to off-reservation developers, coordinates with surrounding governments, and cooperates with neighbors to lessen any potential harm to the region.

Visiting a medical professional is rarely easy in rural Alaska. Communities are isolated, medical needs are significant, and patients’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds can affect diagnoses and treatments. As the backbone of the Alaska Native health care system, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium trains and certifies aides in community, dental, and behavioral health, serving over 170 communities in rural Alaska and cities across the state. 

The Bad River Recycling/Solid Waste Department is a community-wide waste management system that facilitates a clean, safe environment.  Through education, legislation, and incentives, the program builds a strong foundation to increase recycling rates and foster excellence within the workforce. Its practices keep local  lands, animals, harbors, and people safe and healthy, and most importantly, honors tribal cultural philosophy by being good stewards of the environment.

The California Fee-to-Trust Consortium provides a structure for tribes to work with each other and federal officials to improve the land into trust process. These efforts have turned a bureaucratic bottleneck into an efficient system that helps tribes restore their lands so they can continue rebuilding their nations and sustain their economies.

In 2002, the Cherokee Nation launched a multi-faceted initiative to revitalize its language. Using proven techniques of language acquisition, the Project includes an immersion program and teacher certification. Multiple generations are brought together through community activities, preserving not just their language but their way of life.

Formed in 2000, the Cherokee National Youth Choir is an ambassadorial component of the Nation's language program. It performs traditional and contemporary songs in the Cherokee language and has proven itself to be an effective tool reinforcing the Cherokee nationhood. 

The Chickasaw Nation's Chuka Chukmasi Home Loan Program helps Chickasaw citizens realize their dreams of homeownership. Financial literacy and other education courses are a cornerstone of the Program's success, as well as its strong partnerships with financial institutions. Chickasaw self-determination is bolstered when its people can make lasting, positive financial investments.

The Chickasaw Nation's Sick Child Care Program support working parents by providing a safe, nurturing place for mildly ill children. The Program is integrated into the area’s child care and medical infrastructure, and it coordinates with Head Start to offer parent education classes on health and wellness. Through this facility, the Nation’s meeting the needs of its people as well as the broader community.

In 1994, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw took control of all its health care services by entering into a self-governance compact with the federal government. Today it provides a full range of health and wellness services in a state-of-the-art facility. Setting its own priorities in health care, the Center has significantly improved health conditions among its citizens – a remarkable example of the effective exercise of sovereignty.

In 1997, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw reorganized its judicial system to incorporate Choctaw culture into four branches: civil, criminal, peacemaker, and youth divisions.  Through its structure and rulings, the Court provides assurance to business interests, tribal citizens and families, and neighboring communities that the Band and its judicial institutions are fair and equitable to all.

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Constitutional Reform effort redesigned its government infrastructure with direct input from its constituents. The new legislature provides a representative system for all its citizens, no matter where they live. These political changes strengthen the Nation’s identity, economy, culture, and future.

Native nations throughout the US face environmental problems that span multiple jurisdictions, and sometimes even international borders. The Coast Salish Gatherings enable the region’s tribes and First Nations to share concerns and develop initiatives to preserve and restore the fragile Salish Sea ecosystem together. While much work remains to be done, the Coast Salish people are confident that their traditions will guide their way.

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is a shining example of how Indian nations can unite under a common goal to address a critical set of public policy issues. Through fisheries management, policy development, advocacy, litigation support, habitat restoration, and fundraising, CRITFC is leading a comprehensive effort to restore salmon for the benefit of its member tribes and all people of the Pacific Northwest.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee re-thought its solid-waste disposal procedures and found a way to address both their environmental and economic concerns. Through its business relationships with outside jurisdictions, the Band’s waste transfer station also improved the standing of the tribal government and Indian community. 

The Fond du Lac Band’s Off-Reservation Foster Care is a comprehensive agency that licenses families and places children in Indian homes off-reservation. This assertion of sovereignty supports working relationships with the state and neighboring jurisdictions.

The Fort Peck Tribes’ School Based Health Centers bring quality health care, including mental and dental, into the schools serving it's youth. By building diverse and lasting partnerships and leveraging a unique funding structure, the  Centers increased overall health achievement and success for every student. The Centers are an outstanding example of self-determination and a powerful reminder that having healthy citizens is critical for building strong nations.

Recognizing that effective law enforcement is both an essential governmental function and an important expression of sovereignty, the Gila River Indian Community assumed responsibility for its own policing in the late 1990s. The Gila River Police Department has strengthened its capacity to enforce laws and enhanced public safety.

Chartered under the laws of the Gila River Indian Community, the Akimel O’odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council gives youth a formal voice in tribal governance and prepares the next generation of leaders. With elected representatives from tribal districts, the Youth Council advises the tribal government on issues such as youth delinquency, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy. In addition, the Youth Council engages tribal youth on initiatives that enhance understanding of and participation in tribal public service.

The Grand Traverse Band created a Planning and Development Department to create a comprehensive and participatory land use planning process. The process and its outcomes have been instrumental in guiding the Department’s diverse initiatives in public works, housing, public-interest building, and regulatory standard setting. It also helped establish the Band as a respected partner in regional development efforts.

In 1993, the Tribe created the Hopi Child Care Program to bring professional, safe, affordable, and culturally appropriate child care to the reservation. The Program, which exceeds federal and state regulatory standards, started by training and certifying in-home provider and has grown to now include a child care facility. 

The Two Plus Two Plus Two college transition program is a partnership between Hopi Jr./Sr. High School, Northland Pioneer College and Northern Arizona University. High school seniors are enrolled in classes that offer college level credits. The Program is helping Hopi students attain advanced educational degrees and, in doing so, is empowering them with technological and academic skills that they can bring back to the rural reservation.

Officially sanctioned by the Grand Council of Chiefs to represent the Haudenosaunee, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team is the only Native national sports team in international competition. The Team, which has won numerous medals, travels overseas often using Haudenosaunee passports. In doing so, the Team has successfully engaged with nation  around the world to recognize the sovereignty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

The Organized Village of Kake's Circle Peacemaking is a reconciliation and justice process embedded in Tlingit traditions that curbs youth alcohol abuse. Succeeding where the state of Alaska’s efforts had failed, Circle Peacemaking increased tribal sovereignty and commanded respect. Today, working seamlessly with the Alaskan court system, Circle Peacemaking addresses youth offtenses, restores the Tlingit culture, and heals the community.

The Native Village of Kotzebue’s Environmental Program works in partnership with universities to advance science-based research that is driven by tribal priorities and rooted in long-held Iñupiaq values. Through this approach, the tribe is now a full research partner in the majority of projects concerning its land and waters. This benefits its citizens and produces "Best Available Science" by integrating Indigenous knowledge with western science.

The Leadership Institute at the Santa Fe Indian School trains tribal citizens to serve their communities while maintaining a strong connection to their traditions. With a particular focus on young people, the Institute puts current tribal governance issues in cultural and historical context.

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians’ Migizi Business Camp is a job training and entrepreneurship program for teenagers and young adults. Students learn business development concepts and build small business skills. The Camp represents a conscious effort by the tribal government to involve its younger citizens in the effort to build an economic future for the Band.

The Lummi Nation developed the first tribal wetland mitigation bank in the US, a tool that streamlines its land permitting process, generates income, and exercises self-determination. Restoring almost 2,000 acres throughout the Nooksack River floodplain and estuary, the Bank issues mitigation credits to compensate for unavoidable wetland habitat impacts on- and off-reservation.  With the authority to decide whether or not to make credits available and to set prices, the Lummi Nation ensures that ecosystem-wide objectives are met.

The Houlton Band of Maliseet's Department of Indian Child Welfare Services advocates for and protects Indian children, supports parental and family rights, restores and supports families, and solidifies connections between citizens and their tribe. Partnerships forged with the state have yielded productive and trusting relationships that bolster Maliseet self-governance. 

The Miccosukee Section 404 Permitting Program illustrates self-governance in action by implementing a vision for the long-term sustainability and preservation of Miccosukee lands. It contracts on-reservation authority from federal agencies to issue land permits, enforce environmental codes, and manage permit violations. This process strengthens the Tribe's ability to make decisions regarding tribal land use needs and honors relationships tribal citizens have to their territory. 

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s Language Program partners with the Nay Ah Shing School to strengthen cultural resources by incorporating Ojibwe language into its curriculum and intergenerational activities.  Program pedagogy places a strong emphasis on usefulness and fun and gives youth the self-confidence and cultural pride necessary for them to become the Band’s next generation of leaders.

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians created the Family Violence and Victim's Services Program to respond to domestic abuse and sexual assault. By coordinating the Band’s Law & Order, Social Services, and Behavioral Health with the US Attorney's Office, the Program provides victims with comprehensive care and ensures that perpetrators are dealt with appropriately. The Program’s efforts have brought about a decrease in domestic violence crimes and improved the wellbeing of the whole community.

Working closely with Oklahoma corrections officials and district judges, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation operates a prisoner reintegration program to rehabilitate Muscogee citizens who have gotten into trouble with the law. In return for the Program’s help, clients attend probation and parole hearings, meet financial obligations, and stay substance free.  Ex-offenders come home to the Muscogee Nation and, once settled, begin to make their own contributions to strengthening the Nation and the state of Oklahoma.

In collaboration with other governments, the Navajo Nation established the Na'Nizhoozhi Center, Inc. to address alcohol addiction in Gallup, New Mexico. It's remarkable not only for its success in reducing Gallup's alcohol-related ills, but also for serving a substantial off-reservation Native population. The Center demonstrates the power of an intergovernmental collaboration led by an Indian nation that looks beyond assigning fault for a social crisis in order to heal a shared community.

The Native American Drug and Gang Initiative Task Force is a dedicated law enforcement unit that addresses illegal drug and gang activities on tribal reservations in Wisconsin. The Task Force is grounded in community and tribal government cooperation and addresses threats through education, coordination, and inter-agency law enforcement operations.

The Navajo Nation Archaeology Department partners with nearby universities to create programs that combine academic training with field experience. This expanded the number of qualified Navajo professionals available to work in key tribal cultural resource positions. This training enables Navajo people to control their cultural future on their terms, with their own professionals.

In 1989, the Navajo Nation embarked on a local government reform effort to respond to the unique needs of its people. The Nation created a commission that focused on improving government performance by decentralizing decision making to the local Chapters.

The Navajo Nation Judicial Branch’s innovative legal system is independent, fair, responsive, and consistent with Navajo culture and traditions. Perhaps the Branch’s most important contribution to governance, however, is its ongoing exercise of de facto sovereignty. By establishing and enforcing Navajo laws in Navajo ways, the court system exemplifies the Navajo Nation’s commitment to self-government and self-determination.

The Navajo Nation’s Treatment Center for Children and their Family provides comprehensive outpatient therapeutic services to children who have been traumatized by sexual abuse. The Program’s philosophy is that all Navajo children are entitled to a safe, healthy, and loving environment by offering both Western- and Navajo-based treatment. By addressing a rarely discussed social problem, the Center is creating an environment that supports physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of children and families.

The Nez Perce’s Gray Wolf Recovery Program gave the Tribe responsibility over treaty lands off reservation and promoted sovereignty through government-to-government relationships with the State of Idaho and other governmental entities. Through an effective combination of outreach, communication, and coalition building, the Program has made progress in responding to concerns while effectively managing wolf recovery.

The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board is the result of forty-three individual tribes' determination to assert their sovereignty over tribal health. Through a wide range of activities that include policy advocacy, health promotion, disease prevention, and data collection, the Health Board helps its member tribes to effectively manage their own health care systems and improve the health status of Indian nations located in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. 

Tsigo bugeh addresses Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo’s urgent housing demands with units for single and multigenerational families, all in a modern design that echoes millennia of traditional Pueblo living. Ohkay Owingeh citizens can now enjoy living close to their neighbors in modern units that are inspired by the wisdom and traditions of their ancestors.

Many tribal governments think about how their businesses can reflect traditional values. But often, investments are made without much thought about the companies that tribal assets support. The Oneida Nation’s Advocacy through Investment Holdings shows that tribal funds can be put to work within the financial system to raise corporate awareness and bring about positive change. By using targeted investment strategies, Oneida is exercising its self-determination to provide for its future.

The Osage Nation adopted a new constitution in June 2006. Written by Osage people, it brought back into the community the thousands of citizens who had once been excluded. Today, the Osage Nation embraces all of its citizens and places in their hands a government that is a product of their own efforts, ideas, and dreams.

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe created its own Child Welfare Program and took control over federal funds for child welfare, a first among tribes in the US. The Tribe affirmed its right to determine what happens to S’Klallam children who are at risk and keep them connected to their cultural traditions. By working closely with its state counterparts, the tribal Child Welfare Program has established itself as a full child welfare provider. 

The Pueblo of Sandia’s Water Quality Standards Program monitors the water quality along the Rio Grande for conformance to its standards and coordinates pollution control activities with other local, state, and federal agencies. The Program gives the Pueblo a voice at the table in discussions regarding local water matters and have served as a counterweight to pollution claims made by local dischargers. 

The Quapaw Nation’s Agricultural Programs retain dollars in the local economy through the creative use of tribal land and human resources. By focusing on humane and sustainable farming methods, the Programs help the Nation reclaim agricultural traditions, create new jobs for community members, and make high quality, healthy food products newly available to tribal citizens and their neighbors.

The Rosebud Sioux’s Tribal Education Department and Code regulates and coordinates the work of tribal schools, public schools, and federally funded Indian education programs. The Department and Code unites local school boards, program directors, and parents. It applies across geographic and political boundaries, upholding the belief that education is important for all Indian youth—whether they live on or off the reservation or attend tribal or public schools.

The Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways is the caretaker of cultural heritage for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. The Center educates the Tribe’s citizens and the general public through its permanent and rotating exhibits, research center, repatriation efforts, art market, workshops, and language programs. By sharing its story in many ways, the Tribe is reclaiming its past and celebrating its vibrant present as Anishinabe people. 

The Elders Cultural Advisory Council advises the San Carlos Tribal Council on matters of culture, conducting consultations with off-reservation entities and administering cultural preservation activities. It exemplifies how elders can serve as a fourth branch of government to advance the social, economic, political, and spiritual health by sharing traditional wisdom. 

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Scott County agencies work smarter together. The Scott County Association for Leadership & Efficiency (SCALE) fosters intergovernmental cooperation, enhanced communication, and the sharing of resources to help each entity overcome challenges and achieve goals to meet the needs of all citizens in their region.

The Indian Child Welfare Act is intended to protect and promote tribal children, however faithful implementation continues to evade many states. Through brave communication, joint case management, and cooperative staff training, the Sitka ICWA Partnership turns this historically contentious relationship around, so that states and tribes are working cooperatively and more expansively toward family healing.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's Tribal Monitors Program emphasizes the cultural values of protection and preservation. As stewards, tribal monitors are trained to protect the land, artifacts, and remains, as well as to preserve the emotional and spiritual significance of sacred places. 

The Cooperative Land Use Program, which is based on an MOU between the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Skagit County, provides a framework for conducting permitting activities within the boundaries of the “checkerboarded” reservation and establishes a forum for resolving any conflicts that might arise. The Program stands out because it addresses an issue that is both contentious and complex – land use – and embraces a process that fosters “win-win” solutions rather than litigation. 

Owned by a consortium of tribes, the Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations is a treatment center that helps Native youth and their families heal from the trauma of alcohol and drug abuse. It exemplifies how governments can come together to address shared problems effectively and presents a compelling model for how spirituality and clinical treatment can be combined to benefit clients.

The Treaty Rights/National Forest Management MOU was developed by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission to define processes for joint decision-making and conflict resolution with the US Forest Service. It is a shining example of how an intertribal agency can avoid costly litigation and effectively work on behalf of its member tribes to recognize treaty rights and reaffirm the federal trust responsibility. 

The Tulalip Tribes’ AlterNative Sentencing Program reclaims and strengthens sovereignty within a PL-280 state. By melding Indigenous and therapeutic jurisprudence, the Program creates appropriate government infrastructure by partnering with other jurisdictions. The Program’s focus on recovery and healing, rather than punishment, improves citizens' lives and makes the community safer.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation initiated the Umatilla Basin Salmon Recovery Project in 1980 to restore the Umatilla River ecosystem while also protecting the local economy, which depends on irrigated agriculture. It’s remarkable for both bringing salmon back to a river where they had been absent for seventy years and avoiding costly litigation. The Project demonstrates cooperative problem-solving to achieve “win-win” outcomes.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s Cultural Resources Protection Program is a recognized leader in enforcing cultural resource management laws, influencing public policy, and building support for tribal management of critical resources. The Program regularly invites local leaders, state legislators, the media, and others to meet with staff and tribal elders and observe fieldwork.

In most rural areas of America, if you do not have a car it is difficult to get around. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) found this lack of mobility in and around their reservation troubling. In response, it decided to sponsor a bus service for tribal and non-tribal citizens. Now recognized by state and federal officials as one of the most capable public transit systems in the Pacific Northwest, CTUIR boosts the region’s economy for the benefit of all.

The White Mountain Apache Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Program performs all wildlife conservation and management activities for the Tribe. By combining a strong will for self-management of the Tribe’s abundant natural resources with an unwavering pursuit of excellence in outdoor enterprise development, the Tribe has laid the foundation for the sustained use of the outdoors in accordance with Apache values.

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska developed Ho-Chunk Village, a 40-acre master planned community to provide home-ownership opportunities, integrated rentals for elders, and space for businesses in a walkable community. In developing Ho-Chunk Village, the Winnebago Tribe is showcasing how a tribal government, nonprofit, and tribal enterprise can work together in creative ways.

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s Whirling Thunder Wellness Program combats one of the most pressing and pervasive problems in Indian Country, diabetes. Its success in establishing a self-governed health service that has, in culturally appropriate ways, altered lifestyles and reduced diabetes risk factors offers hope to other tribes addressing this epidemic.

A sudden financial decline in the early 2000s made Ysleta del Sur Pueblo re-examine its economic model. It launched Project Pueblo, a full-scale strategic plan rooted in the community, it created a strong foundation for its continued social, political, economic, and cultural development.

The Louden Tribal Council created the Yukaana Development Corporation in 1997 to address environmental degradation and environmental justice. Yukaana led a successful effort to clean the contamination caused by a local military base, and provided training and employment opportunities to tribal and community members. It took positive steps towards achieving a healthier ecosystem.

In response to a dibilitating alcohol and opioid abuse crisis, the Yurok Tribal Court's Wellness Programming seeks to improve outcomes for offenders with substance abuse problems. The court practices concurrent jurisdiction with the state of California (a PL-280 state), and infuses traditional Yurok values into contemporary jurisprudence to serve tribal citizens in culturally appropriate ways. This assertion of sovereignty is building better futures for all community members.