Research Guides
- National Indian Law Library Research by TopicTopical collection of articles and links to information on major Native American legal issues
- Indian Nation Archives How to Build a Tribal Legal HistoryThis Web site describes a step-by-step process for finding the documents needed to build a tribal legal history
Online Study Aids
American Indian Law in a Nutshell by
Call Number: Donald Pray Law Library Law Reserves KF 8205 .Z9 C36 2020 Also available Online in West Academic Study Aids.ISBN: 9781640209138Publication Date: 2019-12-30Historical overview of federal Indian law and policy -- The special relationship between the federal government and the tribes -- Indian tribal governments -- Indian tribal sovereignty -- Indian treaties -- Criminal and civil jurisdiction in Indian country -- Public Law 280 : a federal grant of jurisdiction to the states -- Taxation and regulation in Indian country -- Indian gaming -- Individual rights and Indian law -- Indian lands -- Alaska natives -- Indian water rights -- Indian hunting and fishing rights.American Indian Tribal Law by
Call Number: Donald Pray Law Library The Strickland Collection of Native Peoples Law KIE 110 .F57 2020 Also available online in Wolters Kluwer Study Aids.ISBN: 9781543813647Publication Date: 2020-02-01Tribal government -- Tribal justice systems -- Tribal constitutions -- Tribal membership -- Tribal elections -- Civil rights -- Criminal law and procedure -- Domestic relations -- Property -- Contracts -- Torts -- Procedure and jurisdiction -- Tribal regulatory and administrative law -- Professional responsibility and regulation of lawyers.
"A coursebook for the law school elective American Indian Tribal Law"--
- Federal Indian LawMatthew Fletcher’s Hornbook on Federal Indian Law is a deep survey of the history and substantive law governing the relations between the three American sovereigns, federal, state, and tribal. Interwoven are issues of federalism, administrative law, constitutional rights, and international relations. This hornbook includes original research and novel analysis of foundational Supreme Court decisions and critical federal statutory schemes – the stories beyond the stories. In addition to delving into the origins and histories of cases and statutes, the hornbook analyzes modern Indian rights settlements, the international and comparative frontiers of Indian law, and the future of the field.
- Indian Law StoriesThis book covers the often complex and unfamiliar doctrine of federal Indian law, exposing the raw conflicts over sovereignty and property that have shaped legal rulings. Fifteen distinguished authors describe gripping cases involving Indian nations over more than two centuries, each story emphasizing initiative in tribal communities and lawyering strategies that have determined the fate of nations.
Restatement of the Law, The Law of American Indians
Reporter:
Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Michigan State University College of Law
Associate Reporters:
Wenona T. Singel, Michigan State University College of Law
Kaighn Smith, Jr., Drummond Woodsum, Portland ME
The Restatement of the Law of American Indians (“the Restatement”) is the product of the largest collection of experts in federal Indian law ever assembled, working collaboratively over 10 years. The Restatement experts came from a diversity of experiences, from both public and private law backgrounds, as well as from tribal, state, and federal backgrounds. Lawyers who tended to represent tribal interests engaged with those that tended to represent federal, state, and private interests in opposition to tribes. In a field where disparate groups have rarely met to hash out the governing principles in the field outside of litigation or arms-length negotiations, the Restatement project was a historic grouping.
The goal of the Indian law Restatement, like all restatements, is to clarify, modernize, and assist in the improvement of the law. The Restatement project reporters and advisers sought to focus on default interpretive rules that limited judicial discretion to select policy preferences over law, instead leaving those policy consequences to tribal, state, and federal policymakers. For the American Law Institute to restate Indian law, which is known more for its ambiguities and complexities than for its cohesion, was an intensely difficult task.
Visit ALI for more information about the project and Final Draft
The Proposed Final Draft contains the entire project: Chapter 1, Federal-Tribal Relations; Chapter 2, Tribal Authority; Chapter 3, State-Tribal Relations; Chapter 4, Tribal Economic Development; Chapter 5, Indian County Criminal Jurisdiction; and Chapter 6, Natural Resources. The membership voted to approve the Proposed Final Draft at the 2021 Annual Meeting, subject to the discussion at the Meeting and editorial prerogative. This material may be cited as representing the Institute’s position until the official text is published.
The Final Draft may be accessed via the American Law Institute Library on HeinOnline.
Databases
American Indian and Alaska Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set 1817-1899 - During the 19th century, the United States was engaged in an era of territorial expansion and addition of new states. The government entered into treaties with tribes, conducted wars with tribes, established reservations, relocated tribes, and determined rights to the lands and resources of the indigenous population. The Serial Set provides in-depth, detailed contemporaneous documentation of political, military, and governmental activities related to indigenous peoples of the continental United States and Alaskan territory.
The United States government documents included in this colloection were assembled from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries print collection and scanned at the University of Oklahoma Donald E Pray Law Library. Librarians Marilyn Nicely and Steve Beleu identified titles to scan using Steven L. Johnson’s book, Guide to American Indian Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899.
- HeinOnline American Indian Law CollectionWith more than 700 unique titles and 750,000 pages dedicated to American Indian Law, this collection includes an expansive archive of treaties, federal statutes and regulations, federal case law, tribal codes, constitutions, and jurisprudence. This library also features rare compilations edited by Felix S. Cohen that have never before been accessible online.
- Lexis Advance Native American LawIt is a source for online access to Cohen's handbook of Federal Indian Law. It also includes federal administrative agency decisions, and treaties. It includes other secondary materials including gaming
- Westlaw Native American LawOnline source for a limited group of Tribal court cases and tribal codes. Also includes federal cases and statutes.
Web Pages
- Native American Constitutions and Law Digitization ProjectIncludes first edition of Cohen's Handbook, Solicitor Opinions, IRA constitutions, Rarick's guide to Oklahoma Indian Land Titles, and Imre Sutton's research guide on American Indian Territoriality, and more
- Tribal Court ClearinghouseCompilations and links to tribal court decisions, resources and links to tribal laws/codes and constitutions
- Tribal Govenrments USA.govProvides links to tribal governments
- National Indian Law Library Tribal Law GatewayOutstanding web page provided by the National Indian Law Library of the Native American Rights Fund. Provides access to a large number of tribal codes and constitutions. It is a public library.
- National Indian Law Library Indian Law BulletinsBulletins highlight cases and federal legislation of importance to tribes from the U.S. Supreme Court; Federal Court of Appeals; Federal Trial Courts; State Courts; U.S. Regulatory information, U.S. Congress; Law Reviews and Bar Journals. Back issues are archived for access.
- Northwest Tribal Court Appellate OpinionsFree access to hundreds of tribal court appellate opinions from thirty Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Northern California.
- Law Library of Congress Indigenous Law PortalInteractive map of geographic regions in the United States that links out to online tribal codes, constitutions, cases, tribal websites, and more within each region.
- Indian Country News / Tribal Court ClearinghouseLinks out to numerous current awareness news sources.
Sequoyah National Research Center - University of Arkansas Little Rock
The Sequoyah National Research Center (SNRC) provides a collection of varying materials, including a collection of tribal newspapers. The Newsletters of the SNRC reflect the diversity of the materials available and the past and future activities of the Center.
National Indian Law Library News Blog
Tribal and First Nation Newspaper Sources
American Indian Newspapers offers a diverse collection of print journalism from Indigenous peoples of the US and Canada. Resources include national periodicals as well as local community news and student publications. This collection is also bi-lingual and features editions in Indigenous-languages, such as Hawaiian, Cherokee and Navajo. Subjects covered include the self-determination era and American Indian Movement (AIM), education, language revitalisation, environmentalism, tribal laws, public health and welfare, and rights and cultural representation from an Indigenous perspective. This resource has been developed with the permission and contribution of the newspaper publishers and Tribal Councils concerned.
Oklahoma Historical Society American Indian Newspapers provides a list of sixty-six newspapers collected by the OHS. The listing also provides information about the Oklahoma locations of the publications. Links to those publications that can be viewed online are also provided.
Oklahoma Native Community - News and Current Awareness Resources
Native Times is an independent, native-owned news source based in Oklahoma. News posts include content written by Native Times contributors as well as Associated Press and other news sources.
Mvskoke Media aims to be the voice of the Mvskoke people by distributing information to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation through its newspaper, radio show, and TV broadcasts as well as graphic design and printing services.
Tahlequah Daily Press Tribal News provides news about tribes in Oklahoma. Because Tahlequah is the home of the Cherokee Nation, the focus of much of the news at this site is on the Cherokee Nation.