Tribal Council - Governing Bodies

Governing Bodies

Tribal councils in Canada and the United States have a somewhat different status. In the United States, the term usually describes the governing body of a tribe that is typically distinct from other tribes as a matter of geography, native language, religion and culture. The tribe, usually comprising a single Reservation (although some tribes have more than one, and many have none) is the basic unit of government. Depending on the state, recognized tribes are considered "domestic dependent nations", which gives then sovereign status somewhat comparable to the individual American States. Different tribes may choose governance structures for themselves, but most tribes, using the democratic governments in which a Tribal Council or the equivalent functions as a legislative body and an elected or appointed Chairman has an executive role comparable to a President or Prime Minister. Although not necessarily required by US law to recognize legal principles of democracy, separation of powers, legal precedent, etc., most tribes have found it easier to deal with outside authorities if they do. On a few reservations such as the Hopi Reservation, tribal government exists in parallel with the tribe's more traditional religious and secular government.