Indigenous Governance Database
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
Why leadership and funding matter to developing a tribal workforce
Distilling lessons learned from that endeavor, PTG identified 15 strategic considerations that tribal leaders, workforce development practitioners, and other decision-makers must tackle as they craft workforce development approaches capable of achieving their definition of what “success” looks like…
Why culture and institutions matter to developing a tribal workforce
In its multi-year project examining tribal workforce development approaches across the country, NCAI’s Partnership for Tribal Governance (PTG) worked to identify and document key foundational strategies that are empowering tribal innovation and, in turn, workforce development success. Distilling…
Tribal workforce development: Success starts with governance
A movement is sweeping across Indian Country. Over the past several decades, a growing number of tribal nations have reclaimed their right to govern their own affairs, and are slowly but surely charting brighter futures of their own making. Wrestling primary-decision making authority away from the…
NCAI Task Force on Violence Against Women
Recognizing and acting upon the belief that safety for Native women rests at the heart of sovereignty, leadership from Native nations joined with grassroots coalitions and organizations to create an ongoing national movement educating Congress on the need for enhancing the safety of Native women.…
NNI Indigenous Leadership Fellow: Frank Ettawageshik (Part 2)
Frank Ettawageshik, former chairman of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBO), discusses the critical role that intergovernmental relationship building plays in the practical exercise of sovereignty and the rebuilding of Native nations. He shares several compelling examples of how…
Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times: Mike Williams
Produced by the Institute for Tribal Government at Portland State University in 2004, the landmark “Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Times” interview series presents the oral histories of contemporary leaders who have played instrumental roles in Native nations' struggles for sovereignty, self-…
Honoring Nations: Sarah Hicks: NCAI and the Partnership for Tribal Governance
Former NCAI Policy Research Center Director Sarah Hicks discusses the growth of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and specifically its recent initiatives to support the nation-building and advocacy efforts of Native nations.
Honoring Nations: Juana Majel-Dixon: The Violence Against Women Task Force
Juana Majel-Dixon, Chair of NCAI's Task Force on Violence Against Women, reflects on the work of the Task Force on Violence Against Women and their efforts to push for passage of the Violence Against Women Act in Congress.
Frank Ettawageshik: Reforming the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Constitution: What We Did and Why
Frank Ettawageshik, Former Chairman of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBO), discusses how LTBBO came to develop a new constitution and system of government, the key components of the LTBBO constitution, and how the new LTBBO constitution differs in fundamental ways from the old…
Native Nation Building TV: "Intergovernmental and Intertribal Relations"
Guests Jaime Pinkham and Sarah Hicks focus on Native nations’ efforts to enhance their relationships with other governments as a way to advance their nation-building objectives. It details how some Native nations are forging mutually beneficial intergovernmental agreements, and chronicles the many…
BIA Head Kevin Washburn Speaks to ICTMN About NCAI, Federal Recognition and More
ICTMN's panel consisted of Ray Halbritter, Publisher; Gale Courey Toensing, staff reporter as moderator; Ray Cook, Opinions Editor; Valerie Taliman, West Coast Editor; and Simon Moya-Smith, Correspondent. All participants asked questions at various points in the conversation (photographer Cliff…
Robert F. Kennedy's Legacy with First Americans
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s address to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in Bismarck, North Dakota. I was in high school then. My memories are that of tribal leaders who came together from throughout the nation to discuss key issues of…
Wisdom From Mel: It's Okay to Not Know Everything
Mel Tonasket was not formally educated but he had lobbied and negotiated with Congressman and Senators. When Mel was in Washington D.C. he heard the fancy words from the Solicitors office. He was determined to fight for tribes and not let the “Suyapees” (Anglos) get the best of us — so when he…
Successful Tribes Are Reshaping Governance
American Indian communities are often offered up as the gold standard of dysfunction in America. With our high rates of entrenched poverty, we top the lists of addiction, suicide and other social ills. It’s platitude that, frankly, gets tiring to hear. We in the media like to describe the best and…
Stronger Ethics, Stronger Research: Tribal Governance as a Key Community Health Speaker
2015 CRCAIH Summit Keynote Address by Dr. Malia Villegas, National Congress of American Indians, Policy Research Center.
Suzan Shown Harjo: The View From Lincoln's Head: Notes of a Native American Journey
Poet, writer, lecturer, curator and policy advocate Dr. Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee) commemorates the legacy of scholar Vine Deloria, Jr. by recalling stories of his service to Native communities and by reading a series of poems that he enjoyed.
Thomas Holm: The Vanishing Indian Prof: Reflections on American Indian Studies by an Old Indian Academic
Dr. Tom Holm (Creek/Cherokee), one of the founders of the University of Arizona's American Indian Studies program, discusses the evolution of American Indian studies programs across the country and the need for those programs to provide an environment for intellectual exchange and development for…
Indian Pride: Episode 106: Indian Advocacy
Indian Pride, an American Indian cultural magazine television series, spotlights the diverse cultures of American Indian people throughout the country. This episode of Indian Pride features Joe Garcia, former President of the National Congress of American Indians, and focuses on the topic of Indian…
Native Report: Season 5: Episode 4
Come with us as we visit the Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington, D.C., and talk with National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel about its significance. We'll also meet Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry Echohawk about his first year in office. Then we'll sit down…
NCAI - Footprints into the Future - 68th Annual Convention and Marketplace in Portland, Oregon
The National Congress of American Indians, founded in 1944, is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities. NCAI has grown over the years from its modest beginnings of 100 people to…