Lecture

Justin Richland Talk Here–February 17, 2009–11 AM

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Justin Richland, a professor in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine, will be giving a talk about his new book from the University of Chicago Press — “Arguing with Tradition: The Language of Law in Hopi Tribal Court.” Here is the synopsis:

Arguing with Tradition is the first book to explore language and interaction within a contemporary Native American legal system. Grounded in Justin Richland’s extensive field research on the Hopi Indian Nation of northeastern Arizona—on whose appellate court he now serves as Justice Pro Tempore—this innovative work explains how Hopi notions of tradition and culture shape and are shaped by the processes of Hopi jurisprudence.

Like many indigenous legal institutions across North America, the Hopi Tribal Court was created in the image of Anglo-American-style law. But Richland shows that in recent years, Hopi jurists and litigants have called for their courts to develop a jurisprudence that better reflects Hopi culture and traditions. Providing unprecedented insights into the Hopi and English courtroom interactions through which this conflict plays out, Richland argues that tensions between the language of Anglo-style law and Hopi tradition both drive Hopi jurisprudence and make it unique. Ultimately, Richland’s analyses of the language of Hopi law offer a fresh approach to the cultural politics that influence indigenous legal and governmental practices worldwide.

The Chief Judge of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, JoAnne Cook-Gasco will be commenting on the book.

TOMORROW: ILPC February Spring Speakers Event

Kate Fort

Justin Richland will be talking about his book, “Arguing with Tradition: The Language of Law in Hopi Tribal Court” with Hon. JoAnne Gasco responding and commenting. The event is tomorrow, February 17th, in the Castle Board Room (third floor of the Law College Building) starting at 11am. Lunch will be served.

Building Strong Sovereign Nations at Turtle Creek — Feb. 4-5, 2009

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the cover page of the brochure — Brochure Page 1

And here is the agenda — Brochure Page 2

And here is the press release:

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Tribal leaders from 11 of the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan will attend the first Building Strong Sovereign Nations (BSSN) Conference, Feb. 4-5 at Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, in Williamsburg, Mich.

It is the first tribal governance training of its kind that will be held on Indian land in conjunction with a university.  Participants will come from tribal communities located across the upper and lower peninsulas.

“We are thrilled at the broad intertribal interest,” says Aaron Payment, American Indian liaison for Michigan State University (MSU) Extension. “This initiative is just the first step. We plan to work even more closely with tribes to identify additional training and to bring this training to them.”
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Christian McMillen Talk

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Legal History Blog:

On Friday, January 23, Professor Christian McMillen, Department of History, University of Virginia, will be discussing two papers. First, he will talk about the Historians’ Brief in Carcieri v Kempthorne, an Indian law case from the Supreme Court’s current term which considers whether the Narrangansett Tribe may receive benefits under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, if the Tribe was not federally recognized on the date of enactment, and whether the Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act foreclosed the Tribe’s right to exercise sovereignty over land in the state. Next, McMillen will discuss “Proof, Evidence and History in Indigenous Land Claims,” a paper blending history with the law in the early years of Indian claims.

Professor McMillen is Assistant Professor of Native American Studies and the U.S. West in the Corcoran Department of History at U.Va. He received his BA in history from Earlham College, his MA in history from the University of Montana, and his PhD in history from Yale University. McMillen’s book, Making Indian Law: The Hualapai Land Case and the Birth of Ethnohistory (Yale University Press, 2007) won the 2008 William Nelson Cromwell Book Award, the 2008 John Phillip Reid Book Award, and the 2008 Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin Prize, and garnered a nomination for the Bancroft Prize. The book examines a watershed Indian property rights case that continues to impact the outcome of indigenous land claim cases throughout the world.
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Podcast on UN Declaration Panel at AALS

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the podcast for the Indian Nations and Indigenous Peoples panel on the UN declaration at AALS.

Speakers included:

Coulter Robert T. – Speaker

Angelique Eaglewoman – Speaker

G.W. Rice – Speaker

Wenona Singel – Moderator

2009 Spring Speaker Series Announcement

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the announcement for our spring speaker series.

2009 Spring Speaker Series

Christian McMillen Paper Presentations

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Legal History Blog:

On Friday, January 23, at 12:30 PM, Christian McMillen, Department of History, University of Virginia, will present two papers: “The Historians’ Brief in Carcieri v Kempthorne,” an Indian law case from the Supreme Court’s current term, and “Proof, Evidence and History in Indigenous Land Claims,” a paper blending history with the law in the early years of Indian claims. McMillen is the author of Making Indian Law: The Hualapai Land Case and the Birth of Ethnohistory (Yale University Press, 2007), which has recently won book prizes from the American Society for Legal History and the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation.

This is a webcasted event at the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

NIGC Chairman Phil Hogen to Speak at UM on Thursday

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

NIGC Chairman Phil Hogen – November 13

12:20 pm to 1:20 pm Hutchins Hall (HH) 250

The Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) is sponsoring a lunchtime talk with National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) Chairman Phil Hogen. Chair Hogen is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge Reservation. He will be speaking about the Indian Gaming and Regulatory Act (this year is the twentieth anniversary).

For more information:

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Spring Speakers Series Finalized

Kate Fort

The final dates and speakers for our Spring Speakers Series has been finalized.  The Indigenous Law and Policy Center at MSU College of Law will be hosting four events this spring, and all of the details can be found at our Spring Speakers Series, 2009 page.

Kevin Washburn — First Canby Lecture at ASU

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Kevin Washburn posted his lecture, “American Indians, Crime, and the Law: Five Years of Scholarship in Criminal Justice in Indian Country,” on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

This essay is a lightly-edited and footnoted draft of the inaugural Canby lecture presented by Professor Washburn as the inaugural William C. Canby, Jr., Scholar in Residence at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in 2008. It briefly praises Judge Canby and his influences on the author and then presents some of the highlights of Professor Washburn’s critical commentary on Indian country criminal justice, which reflected Professor Washburn’s most important work in the first five years of his career. It also briefly summarizes legislation recently introduced in the United States Congress that is intended to respond to several of Professor Washburn’s concerns.