Jeannette Armstrong "Sharing One Skin" 

When discovering my role, or where I belong in tribal politics, I had to acknowledge who I was as a tribal member at first. I had to reflect on my passions, my knowledge, and my values. In “Sharing One Skin” by Jeannette Armstrong (Sylix Okanagan), the author explains a being has four selves: our physical, emotional, intellectual-thinking, and spiritual selves. The collaboration of our four selves is what strengthens us, and what guides us through our lives. 

Armstrong emphasizes the importance of community by telling the principals of her own community. When someone is born, they instantly become part of a community and a family. To elaborate on her thought, Armstrong shares “Our most serious teaching is that community comes first in our choices, then family, and then ourselves as individuals, because without community and family we are truly not humans.” (Armstrong, 645). Expanding the meaning of community, Armstrong highlights the importance of making decisions with careful consideration to “the many who came before us and the many ahead of us who share our flesh.” (Armstrong. 465) 

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Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin.” Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (EDs). The case against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA. Sierra Club Books. 

How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape by B. Toastie 

Names are an important part of our identity. They connect us to the places we come from, the people before us, the people beside us, and those who will come after us. In many Indigenous cultures, acknowledging the environment around us, and the life growing on the land, is a profound teaching. After colonization and contact, landmarks with significance to Indigenous people were renamed. The changing of names not only changed the connection tribal communities had with the land, but it also changed the narrative of the history which comes from the land. 

In the article, anthropologist Phillip Cash Cash shares the idea “Recognition of a landscape produces an inner experience The Indigenous place name orients you to its “meaning within the community mind.” As Indigenous people, we must continue to reflect on the land we come from. We must remember the people who came before us, and the fight for the land we have nurtured and valued for generations. 

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Toastie, B. “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscapes,” High Country News. Know the West. 2022.

And Then I Went to School by Joe Suina 

Joe Suina shares his boarding school experience in And Then I Went to School. As a kid, he grew up with his grandmother, he lived a very traditional Pueblo life as a young boy. He grew up speaking Keres, he grew up with the priority of prayer and traditional faith. Being a traditional Pueblo boy was his identity as a child. 

When Suina attended boarding school he was influenced to adopt a new identity. He was told "Leave your Indian at home". The treatment he received, and the attitude at which his culture was approached with altered a piece of his identity. He describes his confusion by saying "I couldn't understand why or what I was caught up in. I was receiving two very different messages; both were intended for my welfare". The two worlds and the two identities he had to learn to balance were harmful to the once strong, culturally influenced identity he carried with him. 

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Suina, Joseph. “And Then I Went to School,” New Mexico Journal of Reading. Winter 1989. Vol. V, No. 2. Re

Pueblo Political and Social Structure by Bruce E. Johansen

The article examines the unique political and social structure of Pueblo society, the collaboration of spiritual and temporal life, and modern Pueblo government. Briefly mentioned in the article is the significance of clanship and specialized societies. 

Elaborating on the position of the governor, the article includes a quote by Pueblo historian Joe S. Sando, “The governor is responsible under the cacique, for all tribal business of the modern world. He is the liaison with the outside business and economic world.” The article provides more context to modern government by briefly explaining the evolution of traditional government systems in reference to U.S. Indian policy. 

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Johansen, Bruce E. "Pueblo Political and Social Structure." The American Mosaic: The American Indian Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2026, americanindian.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1386541. 

All Indian Pueblo Council by Steven L. Danver  

The All Indian Pueblo Council (AIPC) was formed in 1922 as a pantribal representative council with the purpose of collaborating to deal with legal, economic, political, social, and environmental issues. The AIPC is composed of the 19 Pueblo governors. In the 1920's and 1930's, the AIPC addressed concerns with land rights, and to this day, the council still tackles issues with land rights and water rights. The AIPC holds strong influence in federal and state affairs, and rights in the legislative, bureaucratic, and judicial realms. The All Indian Pueblo Council not only has a strong mission to represent tribes in government, but the council is committed to preserving Pueblo culture and tradition. 

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Danver, Steven L. "All Indian Pueblo Council." The American Mosaic: The American Indian Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2026, americanindian.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1385547.

Canes of Power by Steven L. Danver  

The 2012 documentary, narrated by actor Wes Studi (Cherokee), shares the history and significance of the engraved wooden canes gifted to the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico from Abraham Lincoln - as symbols of tribal sovereignty. 

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Pierce, Pamela A., and Nick Durrie, producers. Canes of Power. Directed by David Aubrey, Silver Bullet Productions, 2012. 

Feminist Nations? A Study of Native American Women in Southwestern Tribal Politics by

Diane-Michele Prindeville

       In the article Feminist Nations? A Study of Native American Women in Southwestern Tribal Politics, investigates the political motives and ideas of women who are involved in tribal leadership roles. The studies takes a deep look into the constraints, social barriers, and struggles women face when becoming active in tribal politics or professions. During the study women in leadership positions were asked about what they consider to be strong characteristics of women in tribal leadership, what their political goals consisted of, what policy priorities they had, and what constraints to participation these women face. 

The study analyzed the relationship of religion and politics in Pueblo communities - which is often times a reason women are marginalized in tribal politics. The exclusion has led to many Pueblo women to feel discouraged from seeking public office, in both tribal or non-tribal politics. Despite these challenges, Pueblo women in some communities have found opportunities in leadership and political participation in working for the administration of their tribal government. 

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Prindeville, Diane-Michele. “Feminist Nations? A Study of Native American Women in Southwestern Tribal Politics.” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 57, no. 1, Mar. 2004, pp. 101–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/106591290405700108.

Unveiling Obstacles: Gender Inequalities Impact on Womens Political Engagement in the Somali Federal Government by Sharmarke Abdullahi Yusuf, Abdinasir Abdullahi Mohamed Biyo and Abdirahman Mohamed Dahie 

In Somalia, gender inequality has impacted women's political participation. The marginalization of Somali women in politics has been a result of patriarchal cultural norms, lack of educational possibilities, and economic opportunities. The lack of education and lack of economic opportunity makes it more difficult for women to stay active in politics due to early marriage. The women who do become active in politics often face discrimination and gender-based violence.

In 2016, the Somali federal government passed a law mandating 30% of parliamentary seats for women. Even after the passing of this law, women still face barriers when becoming active in politics. The lack of representation of women in the Somali federal government increases the risk of policy gaps, a weakened legitimacy, and a weakening of power in governance structures. The essentiality of female representation in Somali politics is a matter of social justice. 

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Yusuf, Sharmarke Abdullah. "Unveiling Obstacles: Gender Inequalitys Impact on Womens Political Engagement in the Somali Federal Government." International Journal of Education Humanities and Social Science, vol. 6, no. 04, 2025, ijhess.com 

Voices from the Margins: Political Representation and State Inclusion of MInority Groups in Uganda by Dr. Aditya Narayan Misra 

Minority groups like ethnic, religious, and LGBTQ+ minority groups face exclusion in politics due to unfair laws, limited access to justice, and government institutions that fail to respond to their needs. Minority groups in Uganda have faced systematic exclusion from political processes. The influence of civil society acting as "a mediator, not a gate opener", institutional and legal constraints, and intersectional marginalization hinder minority groups from being politically active. 

In Uganda, the Batwa (an Indigenous group), Muslim communities, and the LGBTQ+ have very little political representation in politics, and often times when there is representation, it is mostly tokenisitc or symbolic. 

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Misra, Aditya Narayan. “VOICES FROM THE MARGINS: POLITICAL REPRESENTATION AND STATE INCLUSION OF MINORITY GROUPS IN UGANDA.” Journal of Commerce Economics & Computer Science, vol. 11, no. 02, June 2025, pp. 69–76. https://doi.org/10.62823/jcecs/11.02.7582.