UPDATE: Jodi Rave Spotted Bear was fired today by The MHA Times, the newspaper of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. A letter cited insubordination.

Sunrise on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota. Photo by MHA Times / Facebook

Interior Appeals Board upholds much needed changes to TAT constitution
By Jodi Rave Spotted Bear
MHA Times Publisher

In theory, the Three Affiliated Tribes Business Council should revere our tribal constitution because it’s one of the most important documents for our people, right next to the Fort Laramie Treaty.

Our reality, however, is that the TAT Constitution is outdated in a way that hurts our people. For example, it grants legislative and judicial sovereign authority to the Tribal Business Council. This allows the council to act as jury and judge, creating a stranglehold on meaningful community participation and decision making. The TAT Constitution also needs to better reflect the cultural, moral and ethical values of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people.

This said, some big changes lie ahead for the TAT Tribal Business Council and, hopefully, will bring change for the betterment of our nation. On Sept. 15, 2015 an administrative judge upheld a July 30, 2013 certified secretarial election in which MHA Nation citizens voted to amend the tribal constitution. The Hudson v. Great Plains Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs appeal sought to overturn an election in which the majority of MHA voters agreed to adopt two new constitutional amendments.

Visit the MHA Times for the full story: Interior Appeals Board upholds much needed changes to TAT constitution

Interior Board of Indian Appeals Decision:
Charles K. Hudson v. Great Plains Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs (September 15, 2015)