Nearly 100 school counselors and teachers convened in October 2015 at the picturesque Tsébii'nidzisgai Elementary School in Monument Valley, Utah, for a "Four Corners Counseling Connection" conference designed to enhance their knowledge and understanding of American Indian history and culture, help them develop skills to support and…

Outlines culturally based political and legal strategies used by the indigenous peoples of New Zealand to retain or regain control of fisheries, forests, and land. Emphasizes the need to integrate tribal culture and history into the general education system of New Zealand, thereby underpinning customary tribal rights. (SV)

Clarifies the Navajo Tribal Council's policy on Navajo control of education. Asserts that education of this tribe's children has been disastrous and discusses priorities for strengthening it. Emphasizes the necessary involvement of family, community, and tribal government in structuring Navajo education and determining its goals. (KH)

Recourse to the courts for resolution of conflicts has become increasingly frequent, particularly in matters concerning American Indians. Important to this upsurge is the commitment to Indian sovereignty and the awareness among Indians that their rights can be asserted and established in courts. The issues of Indian self-determination and tribal…

This report summarizes an open discussion between members of the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) and conference attenders following 2 days of testimony about issues in Native American education. An administrator outlined the loss of educational opportunity for Native Americans during…

Indian control of Indian education, whether defined as control by the individual parent, parental school board or committee, or tribal council, has had legislative support since the passage of the Indian Self-Determination Act in 1978. While the authority for overseeing the federal trust responsibility for Indian people remains with the Bureau of…

Under Oklahoma's new "in need of treatment" (INT) procedure, juvenile commitments have increased 10 times since 1983. About 8% of commitments are American Indian children. Generally, the mental health dilemma of Indian communities is characterized by multiple and interacting problems, acute symptoms masked by related problems such as…

In traditional North American Indian societies, decisions are made by consensus rather than by authorities. Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO), an organization concerned with the issue of tribal governance, considers poor communication and disagreements about issues of power, resources, and recognition to be among the causes for conflict…

Viewing indigenous peoples of the United States as ethnic/racial minorities is a misconception because there is no given ethnicity which might be correctly said to encompass the more than 400 distinctly identifiable ethnicities comprising what is lumped in the catchall category of "Native Americans" and because notions of ethnic/racial minority…

Because Native American societies are held by United States courts to possess rights of self-government where these rights have not been explicitly withdrawn, the constitutions of 280 Native American governments in the United States (exclusive of 219 in Alaska) were examined as they existed in September 1981 to determine the extent and character…

This paper describes selected settings, circumstances, problems, and barriers to research in Indian country, and suggests ways to mitigate or overcome such problems and barriers. Examples are drawn from four research projects. Distinctions are drawn among sponsors of research in Indian country (usually federal agencies); consumers of such research…

As a model for long-range planning and problem-solving, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska is responsive to the needs of the tribal community as well as to Indian traditional values. The tribe has grown from a $6,000 budget in 1965 to todays' multimillion dollar enterprise. In 1980 the Tribe implemented a plan for socioeconomic self-sufficiency to…

The relationship between ethnicity and political trust among American Indian elementary school children was determined for federal, state, and tribal levels. A total of 312 Arapahoe, Shoshoni, and white students were questioned to determine whether they thought each level of government could be trusted, whether the government cares about them and…

Much of the disarray in Native economic systems comes from their inability to control their assets. The greatest Native asset is Native people. Youth must be engaged from preschool through tribal colleges. Off-reservation tribal members must be engaged for their knowledge and networks. Tribal governments must encourage broad participation. Native…

This paper examines changes in federal policy that have encouraged economic development by American Indian tribes, and presents examples from New Mexico. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 guaranteed federal provision of education and other services to the tribes, but the newly reorganized tribal governments were regulated almost exclusively by…