Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute

A unique legal program within Mitchell Hamline

The Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute has four main components: 1) an academic component offering a certificate for JD students to specialize in this area; 2) a public education component through events, such as our annual conference; 3) advising for the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) chapter, including participating in the annual National NALSA Moot Court Competition; and 4) a commitment to our law students by focusing on recruitment, retention, graduation, and alumni connections.

As the Director of the Institute, Professor EagleWoman seeks to build community for our law students who are Native American or who have an interest in Native American law. With 570+ Tribal Nations in the United States, it is important to have well-educated legal practitioners to assist in maintaining our homelands, ensuring treaty provisions are upheld, and in furthering tribal sovereignty.

Further, we maintain a strong connection to the Indigenous peoples of this region and the sovereign Tribal Nations in Minnesota. Contributing to the strength of the law school in a variety of ways, the Institute is also engaged in highlighting and supporting the cultural and traditional Indigenous legal principles our Native faculty and students bring to the law school.

We will work with you to create a course of study tailored to your specific interests and career goals. You can choose from any of Mitchell Hamline’s enrollment options—study full time, part time, on campus, or partly online. Native Justice Scholarships guarantee that recipients will pay no more than $40,000 in tuition for their J.D. (excluding summer and J-Term courses). Pro-rated scholarship amounts are available for summer and J-Term.

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

Connect with us

“The practical skills and knowledge you learn at Mitchell Hamline will help you in your Indian law practice. You will be ahead of the curve.”
–Lenor A. Scheffler ’88 (Lower Sioux)
Former Mitchell Hamline Trustee