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Saturday, 10 March 2007 |
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Recently the Cherokee Nation voted to revoke the membership of the Freedman. This move is of course being challenged. But the action by the Cherokee Nation brings into question what constitutes a “Cherokee”. |
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Saturday, 08 July 2006 |
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In 1988, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which recognized the right of Indian tribes in the United States to establish gambling and gaming facilities on their reservations as long as the states in which they are located have some form of legalized gambling. Two cases in the 1980's led up to this act: Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Butterworth and California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. The Seminole case opened the doors to high-stakes bingo on reservations all over the country. Florida tried to close the Seminole tribe's high-stakes bingo parlor (opened in 1979), but the court ruled that bingo fell under statutes classed as regulatory rather than prohibitory. The Cabazon case established that once a state has legalized any form of gambling, Indian tribes within that state can offer the same game on trust land without any state interference or restrictions. [Trust land is reserved for and owned by Indians but held "in trust" by federal government for the benefit of the Indian owners.] This case brought up concerns about tribal regulation of Indian gaming among many groups (i.e. Nevada and New Jersey where gambling is legal, the National Association of Attorney Generals, the National Sheriffs' Association). In response to the concerns arising, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). This act went into effect on October 17, 1988: The act is intended to 1) promote tribal economic development, self-sufficiency, and strong tribal government; 2) provide for a regulatory base to protect Indian gaming from organized crime; and 3) establish the National Indian Gaming Commission. |
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Thursday, 22 June 2006 |
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was founded in 1944 in response to termination and assimilation policies that the United States forced upon the tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and status as sovereigns. NCAI stressed the need for unity and cooperation among tribal governments for the protection of their treaty and sovereign rights. Since 1944, the National Congress of American Indians has been working to inform the public and Congress on the governmental rights of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Over a half a century later, our goals remain unchanged. NCAI has grown over the years from its modest beginnings of 100 people to include 250 member tribes from throughout the United States. Now serving as the major national tribal government organization, NCAI is positioned to monitor federal policy and coordinated efforts to inform federal decisions that affect tribal government interests. Now as in the past, NCAI serves to secure for ourselves and our descendants the rights and benefits to which we are entitled; to enlighten the public toward the better understanding of the Indian people; to preserve rights under Indian treaties or agreements with the United States; and to promote the common welfare of the American Indians and Alaska Natives. |
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Native Business & Economy 
