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The Origins, Current Status, And Future Prospects Of Blood Quantum As The Definition Of Membership In The Navajo Nation, Paul Spruhan

Tribal Law Journal

In this article, the author discusses the origin of the Navajo Nation's blood requirement. Mr. Spruhan examines the intended purpose of the quarter-blood quantum definition and the role of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He reviews the current status, regulation, and recent attempts to change the quarter-blood quantum requirement. He discusses the future of the quarter-blood quantum requirement with respect to the Navajo Nation Council's 2002 resolution known as the "Fundamental Laws of the Diné," a resolution mandating the application of traditional law, customary law, natural law, and common law to the Navajo Nation Government and its entities. In this …

Customary Law: The Way Things Were, Codified, Exra Rosser

Tribal Law Journal

The author explores the meaning of customary law from its most general meaning to the meaning and application within various tribal courts. Mr. Rosser discusses the weight of customary law when choice of law and conflict of law issues arise within tribal courts. He discusses the challenges in uniformly applying customary law. He also discusses the challenges in substantiating customs when presented to a tribal court, including the use of experts. Mr. Rosser highlights the complexity and variance of customary law between tribal courts while emphasizing the importance of tribal jurisprudence. Finally, the author provides an appendix of rules and …

Intertribal Conflicts And Customary Law Regimes In North Africa: A Comparison Of Haratin And Ait 'Atta Indigenous Legal Systems, Anna Natividad Martinez

Tribal Law Journal

The Haratin people of North Africa are subjects in crisis; they are people whose origins are debated and whose social status is scorned. As an indigenous population in the midst of regional turmoil, they have been subject to removal, forced labor and economic deprivation. Their exploitation by both French colonial forces and other indigenous populations (namely Arabs and Berbers) has displaced the Haratin way of life and has subsumed their legal culture.

Diné Bi Beenahaz'Áanii: Codifying Indigenous Consuetudinary Law In The 21st Century, Kenneth Bobroff

Tribal Law Journal

The fundamental laws of the Diné, "the People" in the Navajo language, were placed by the Holy People long before Spaniards arrived in the New World. Since Coronado first traveled to Navajo Country almost five centuries ago, Diné have resisted European assaults on Navajo Law. On November 1, 2002, the Navajo Nation Council acknowledged the survival of the fundamental laws of the Diné, recognizing four specific constituent elements — traditional law, customary law, natural law, and common law – and explaining the principles of each.

Profile Of The Sayisi Dene Nation Of Tadoule Lake In Northern Manitoba, Kwesi Baffoe

Tribal Law Journal

The cultural groups among the Aboriginal peoples of Northern Canada correspond to climatic latitudinal divides. Above the tree line, where the boreal forest meets the tundra, are the Inuit whose territory stretches far into the arctic. South of the tree line are the Dene, and below them are the Cree nations of the prairies. The goal of this paper is to concentrate on the nature of the particular culture of the Dene People.

A Restatement Of The Common Law Of The Grand Traverse Band Of Ottawa And Chippewa Indians, Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Zeke Fletcher

Tribal Law Journal

This this article sets forth the case law propounded by the Grand Traverse Band Tribal Court. The Grand Traverse Band, with whom the United States concluded two treaties in the 19th Century, only to be denied sovereign status wrongly for over one hundred years, was "re-recognized" by the United States in 1980. The 1988 Grand Traverse Band Constitution established a politically independent Tribal Judiciary that has ruled on a wide spectrum of issues ranging from administrative and constitutional law to fishing and gaming, and from sovereign immunity and tribal economic development to tribal membership. The Restatement distills the principles of …

Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act Of 2003, United States 108th Congress

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Federal Legislation: Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2003, PL 108-34, 117 Stat. 782 (June 23, 2003). Parties: Zuni Tribe, US, AZ. The Act ratifies the Settlement Agreement concerning Zuni Indian Tribe water rights in the Little CO River basin, AZ. It authorizes appropriations for acquisition of water rights and associated lands and, for fiscal years 2004 through 2006; and for actions necessary to restore, rehabilitate, and maintain the Zuni Heaven Reservation, including the Sacred Lake, wetlands, and riparian areas. The US shall take legal title of specified lands in the Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian …

Indigenous Pueblo Culture And Tradition In The Justice System: Maintaining Indigenous Language, Thought And Law In Judicial Review, Christine Zuni Cruz

Faculty Scholarship

In this paper Christine Zuni Cruz considers several issues that have emerged from her personal experience working as an Associate Justice on the Pueblo Appellate Court in the United States. These concerns relate to maintaining the culture of the Pueblo within an acknowledged western, and specifically Anglo-American, framework of justice. The key elements discussed include language, process and knowledge. This paper provides a North American perspective on the interface between Indigenous law and western legal frameworks. It therefore has resonance in the contemporary Australian landscape, where efforts to secure Indigenous rights and interests in land encounter difficulties both in regards …

Tohono O'Odham Settlement, Tonhono O'Odham Nation Et Al

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Settlement Agreement: Tohono O'odham Settlement (Apr. 30, 2003). Parties: Tohono O'odham Nation, AZ, US, Tucson, Asarco Inc., Farmers Investment Co., two allottee classes. The Settlement Agreement has been revised to eliminate any conflicts with PL 108-451. The parties are a part of the Gila River adjudication. The Nation has a water right of 79,200 acre-feet per year, sourced in ground and surface water. This water may be put to any use. The Nation may use the water off-reservation according to the attached contracts or pursuant to state law, but the uses must remain within the state. Provisions are made for …

Are County Officials Liable For Forcibly Executing A Search Warrant Against A Sovereign Indian Tribe, John P. Lavelle

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Current Issues In Native American Law, Gloria Valencia-Weber, Taiawagi Helton, Paul Frye, Samuel Winder, John Echohawk

Faculty Scholarship

Report of the Proceedings of the Judicial Conference of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Transcribed conference panel session: Gloria Valencia-Weber focuses her segment on important language on Indian sovereignty in the Nevada v. Hicks case.

The Supreme Court's Indian Law Decisions: Deviations From Constitutional Principles And The Crafting Of Judicial Smallpox Blankets, Gloria Valencia-Weber

Faculty Scholarship

The first section discusses sovereignty and the sources for foundational principles that pertain to the relationships among tribes, the states, and the federal government. The sources are the documented discourse and covenants of the constitutional evolution, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (Articles), and the Constitution of 1787 as they developed state jurisdiction related to Indian matters. Second, the paper discusses the colonial period and reality versus the fictions or myths of discovery and conquest. Third, the paper covers the conflict and unity in the pre-Revolutionary period. Fourth, the paper considers the Articles as the first U.S. model to …

Expanding The Network Of Safety: Tribal Protection Orders For Survivors Of Sexual Assault, Sara Deer

Tribal Law Journal

The right to exist in a world free from violence is a basic tenet in many indigenous cultures and governments. The epidemic of sexual violence perpetrated against Native American women in the United States reflects a fundamental breakdown in the cultural and legal norms that have served to provide protection to Native women from time immemorial.

What Indian Tribes Can Do To Combat Child Sexual Abuse (Issue Paper), Larry Echohawk, Pawnee Indian Tribe, Tessa Meyer Santiago

Tribal Law Journal

One of the most destructive problems affecting children in "Indian country" today is sexual abuse. Increasing reports of child sexual abuse and the severe impact this type of crime has on Indian youth and their families have prompted tribal leaders to voice great concern about the impact of this crime on Indian communities.

Law Enforcement Authority In Indian Country, Melissa L. Tatum

Tribal Law Journal

The protection order has proven to be an effective tool in the war against domestic violence. A protection order, however, is good only so long as it can be enforced, and enforcement has proven to be a problem when a person travels with a protection order to a different jurisdiction.

Memorandum Opinion Re Chippewa Cree Tribe-Mt Compact, Mt Water Court

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Memorandum Opinion re Chippewa Cree Tribe-MT Compact, MT Water Court: Procedural History, p. 1; Preliminary Review of Chippewa Cree Tribe – Montana Compact p. 11; Summary of Compact p. 12; Preliminary Conclusion, P. 16; Objections and Heightened Review, p. 17; Conclusion p. 43.

Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement In The Little Co River Basin, Zuni Indian Tribe Et Al

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Settlement Agreement: Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement in the Little CO River Basin (June 7. 2002) Parties: Zuni Indian Tribe, US, AZ, AZ Game & Fish Commission, AZ State Land Department, AZ State Parks Board, St. Johns Irrigation & Ditch Co., Lyman Water Co., Round Valley Water Users’ Ass’n, Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement & Power District, Tucson Electric Power Co., City of St. Johns, Town of Eagar, and Town of Springerville.

The Agreement resolves the Zuni Indian Tribe water rights in the Little CO River basin, AZ. The Zuni Tribe intends to reestablish and maintain the wetland environment …

Toward A Great Sioux Nation Judicial Support Center And Supreme Court: An Interim Planning And Recommendation Report For The Wakpa Sica Historical Society’S Reconciliation Place Project, John P. Lavelle, Frank Pommersheim

Faculty Scholarship

This Interim Planning and Recommendation Report describes the significance and potential benefits of the Wakpa Sica Historical Society’s Reconciliation Place Project in its endeavor to facilitate the establishment of a Great Sioux Nation Supreme Court. The report emphasizes that the vision of establishing such a Court has existed among the Sioux tribes of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska for generations and that the project’s legitimacy and ultimate success depend on its ability to continue fostering the tribes’ endorsement of and participation in the Court’s development and implementation.

Lands Entitled To Receive Irrigation Water From The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Herbert A. Becker

Law of the Rio Grande

No abstract provided.

Rice V. Cayetano: The Supreme Court Declines To Extend Federal Indian Law Principles To Native Hawaiians Sovereign Rights, Jeanette Wolfley

Faculty Scholarship

As I read and reread the Rice decision, I realized how similar it is to the trend in the recent Indian law cases decided by the Supreme Court. For example, Rice, in many respects, represents the discomfort the Justices feel for upholding "special treatment" of Native Americans under the law. The Court in Rice reversed the Ninth Circuit's decision allowing the State of Hawaii to conduct a Natives-only election of trustees to administer a trust to benefit Native Hawaiians. It found that the Fifteenth Amendment, adopted after the Civil War to prevent states from denying the elective franchise to former …

Cherokee Nation Election Of 1995, Ahnawake Carroll

Tribal Law Journal

The Cherokee Nation Election of 1995 by Ahnawake Carroll discusses a test of the constitutional distribution of powers within the Cherokee government in the context of the 1995 tribal election. This article explores through the mechanism of five selected rulings the role of the tribal judiciary in adjudicating various controversies arising out of the election resulting in the judiciary placing "a check on the legislative and executive powers of the Cherokee government" based upon interpretations of the Cherokee Constitution, as well as codified Cherokee law.

Cherokee Nation Tribal Profile, Ahnawake Carroll

Tribal Law Journal

Cherokee Nation Tribal Profile by Ahnawake Carroll provides readers with an overview of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Government. This profile includes information regarding both the historical and contemporary uses of the tribe's traditional law, law of governance, enacted law, and case law.

Memorandum Opinion Re Assiniboine And Sioux Tribes Of Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Water Court Of State Of Montana

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Post Settlement Court Opinion: Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, MT, Montana, Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission, United States. Opinion disposes of three objections to settlement/Compact. It concludes that Compact is analogous to consent decree; objector has the initial burden of production; standard for approving a consent decree is that it is at least fair, adequate and reasonable, made in good faith, with arms-length negotiations and conforms to applicable laws; settlement must be in public’s interest but not necessarily in the public’s best interest, if otherwise reasonable; objectors must show that they claimed rights are …

Fort Belknap-Mt Compact Of 2001, Montana

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Settlement & State Legislation: No separate settlement agreement. Fort Belknap-Montana compact ratified. (MCA 85-20-1001) (April 16, 2001) Parties: Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes of the Fort Belknap Reservation, MT and US. The Tribes have right to 645 c/f/s from the Milk River and its tributaries upstream from Reservation diversion point with a priority date of October 17, 1855. Off-stream storage is limited to 60,000 a/f and up to 125 c/f/s is for irrigation and other historical purposes. Tribes have right to develop surface water in the Milk River Basin for livestock impoundments provided they don't use more than 30 a/f/y. …

Rescuing Paha Sapa: Achieving Environmental Justice By Restoring The Great Grasslands And Returning The Sacred Black Hills To The Great Sioux Nation, John P. Lavelle

Faculty Scholarship

Looking at a unique proposal of the Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains for establishing a "Greater Black Hills Wildlife Protected Area" in the Northern Plains region. Especially in light of the proposal's potential impacts on the continuing efforts of the Sioux tribes of this region to secure the return of the sacred Black Hills to sovereign tribal ownership.

Resolution No. 01-R-06 Storage Of Rio Grande Compact Accumulated Credit Water In Jemez Canyon Reservoir, Bruce Sanchez

Law of the Rio Grande

Pueblo of Santa Ana Council authorizes the Governor and Tribal Administration to investigate, analyze and pursue the negotiation of amendments to the Pueblo's water storage agreements with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding Jemez Canyon Dam and Reservoir.

Solicitor Leshy Opinion--Eastern Boundary Of The Sandia Pueblo Grant, John D. Leshy

Sandia Pueblo Mountain Claim

The question of the proper location of the eastern boundary of the 1748 Spanish land grant to the Pueblo of Sandia in central New Mexico has been a matter of public controversy for many years. In December 1988, Solicitor Ralph Tarr issued an Opinion, in which Secretary Hodel concurred, rejecting the pueblo's claim that the eastern boundary of its grant should be resurveyed and located along the main ridge of the Sandia Mountain rather than along a foothill ridge. My reconsideration of the Tarr Opinion's conclusion on the boundary issue does not depend on a formal remand from the court, …

Shivwits Band Of The Paiute Indian Tribe Of Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement, Shivwits Band Of The Paiute Indian Tribe Of Ut Et Al

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Settlement Agreement: Shivwits Band of The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement (Jan. 18, 2001) Parties: Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of UT, UT, US, New Santa Clara Field Canal Co., Ivins Irrigation Co., Gunlock Irrigation Co., Lower Gunlock Reservoir Corp., New Santa Clara Field Canal Co., Washington County Water Conservancy District, City of St. George, St. George Field Canal Co., Bloomington Canal Co., Southgate Irrigation Co,. Edward Bowler. (Shivwitz Band Only, not the other 4 Bands of Utah Paiutes) The Band will have use of a total of 4000 acre-feet per year including 100 …

Strengthening Tribal Sovereignty Through Indian Participation In American Politics: A Reply To Professor Porter, John P. Lavelle

Faculty Scholarship

A rebuttal to Porter's recent article The Demise of the Ongwehoweh and the Rise of the Native Americans: Redressing the Genocidal Act of Forcing American Citizenship upon Indigenous Peoples

Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo Definition And List Of Community Land Grants In New Mexico, United States General Accounting Office

Law of the Rio Grande

No abstract provided.