Native American Law
and Sovereignty
Institute

Land acknowledgment

We acknowledge our presence in the tribal and treaty homelands of the Dakota Oyate since time immemorial. These lands are home to the Sisseton, Wahpeton, Mdewakanton and Wahpekute Dakota peoples. There are four Tribal Nations who remain in these lands as tribal governments, the Lower Sioux Indian Community, the Prairie Island Indian Community, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, and the Upper Sioux Community. We acknowledge and respect the Dakota Oyate as part of the larger Sioux Nation, traditionally known as the Seven Council Fires, the Oceti Sakowin. We also acknowledge the regional territory of the Ojibwe/Chippewa/Anishinaabe peoples in these tribal homelands. There are seven Tribal Nations who remain in these lands as tribal governments, the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, and the White Earth Nation. We also acknowledge the ancestral connection of the Ho-Chunk Nation to this region. In these tribal lands, Indigenous peoples have joined together in community, stewardship, and spirituality upholding traditional values and legal principles.

—This land acknowledgment is not available for public use and is specific for our institution. Please contact the Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute for permission to use.

Individual guidance to fit your goals

Our program is unique because our professors provide students with a high degree of individual attention. Faculty guide students through a specialized track featuring introductory courses such as Native American Law and Introduction to Tribal Law. Advanced courses cover topics including the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), tribal gaming, treaty rights, and cultural resources. Students can compete in national moot court competitions, and participate in clinics that offer real-world contributions to society and the law.

The Native American Law and Sovereignty Certificate

The Native American Law and Sovereignty Certificate allows students to explore the cross-cultural fields of Native American Law to include: Indigenous legal principles, tribal law, federal Indian law, and the relationships between Tribal Nations and other governmental entities and systems.

• Native American Law and Sovereignty Certificate and Courses

Learn from Native American law scholars and practitioners

Our law professors bring a wide range of experiences to the practice of law.

Professor EagleWoman’s experience includes serving as General Counsel to her own Tribal Nation, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, solo practice representing tribal individuals, working in a D.C. and two Oklahoma law firms representing Tribal Nations, and as a Tribal Court Trial Judge and Appellate Justice.

Additionally, the Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute proudly invites a number of notable scholars and practitioners to teach courses during the J-Term and summer sessions. During summer term, Justice Anne McKeig ’92, White Earth Nation, has offered a course on the Indian Child Welfare Act.  Professor Forrest Tahdooahnippah, Comanche Nation, brings his expertise to teach the Advanced Topics in Native American Law course.

• Leadership and Faculty