Tribal Nations of Turtle Island
There are 574 federally recognized Indian Nations (variously called tribes, nations, bands, pueblos, communities, and native villages) in the United States. Approximately 229 of these ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse nations are located in Alaska; the other federally recognized tribes are located in 35 other states. Each of them has a formal nation-to-nation relationship with the U.S. government.
The Tribal nations maintain the power to determine their own governance structures and enforce laws through their own departments and tribal courts responsible for a broad range of governmental activities on tribal lands such as; environmental protection, natural resource management, the development, and maintenance of basic infrastructure; as well as, education, health care, law enforcement, and judicial systems.
The four principles
Peoples
Native people are the essence of our nations.
Land
Our Connection to place is both physical and spiritual, and it helps define who we are as peoples.
Culture
Traditions, new and old, sustain our societies: language, family, clan, art, ceremonies, life ways.
Governance
Social organizing and political structures vary from tribal nation to tribal nation, based on unique histories, cultures, and worldviews.