History

History of the Tribal Law Journal

The first discussion about a law journal focused on tribal law began among two University of New Mexico (UNM) faculty members and two UNM law students in August 1998. The journal was not so much an idea as a project waiting to happen. It was like the ripe apple on a tree waiting to be picked.

That year, several Native and non-Native students immersed themselves in the creation of the journal. A completely student motivated and run project, we discussed issues, sought advice, and racked our minds about how best to bring the project to life. The discussions were exciting and frustrating. They were exciting because we all felt so passionate about the project and frustrating because there was so much work to be done, work which none of us had ever done before.

As we discussed the project throughout the 1998–1999 academic career, our goal was clear: to create a journal which would promote the law of the indigenous nations of the world. As we continued our discussions, a second goal emerged: to create an alternative journal structure focused on collaboration and community, rather than competition and individualism.

In the Spring of 1999, Professor Zuni Cruz was pulling together a new course, Law of Indigenous Peoples. When she got wind of the student effort to create a tribal law journal, she asked to join the effort. As she described it, we were moving along the same track and our endeavor was rapidly moving train.

During the Fall of 1999, nine students enrolled in the Law of Indigenous Peoples course. Together with Professor Zuni Cruz, we developed a proposal to create the first Tribal Law Journal. In January of 2000, the presentation went to the UNM faculty and was overwhelmingly accepted. With a few more details to be worked out, the Tribal Law Journal began to take shape in March 2000.

We have come a long way in two years and we still have a long way to go. But, what is important is that we have made it, due to student motivation and faculty commitment to this vital project. Moreover, we have stayed true to our dual mission: to promote the law of indigenous peoples through a community effort.

Thank you to the students who have helped along the way:

  • Randy Ash (Dine’)
  • Lucille Beals (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma)
  • Bidtah Becker (Navajo)
  • Lisa Cook-Gambler (Crow Creek Sioux Tribe)
  • Bernice Delorme (Turtle Mountain Chippewa)
  • Eddie Garcia (Tohono O’odham)
  • Eloy Garcia
  • Jason Hauter (Maricopa)
  • Danielle Her Many Horses (Oglala Lakota)
  • Regina Holyan (Navajo)
  • Coco Iwamoto
  • Lisa Lang (Haida)
  • Kristin Linkugel
  • Katie O’Connor
  • Petra Rogers (Navajo)
  • Paul Spruhan
  • David Tapia (San Juan Pueblo)
  • Lynn Trujillo (Sandia/Taos/Acoma)
  • Mark Welliver (Citizen Band Potawatomi)

Thank you to the entire faculty and administration of the University of New Mexico School of Law. Special thanks to Dean Desiderio who reminded us that we are the Tribal Law Journal, a unique effort which should follow its own path, a path we recognize as self-determination.

Press Release

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (March 21, 2000)—The University of New Mexico (UNM ) School of Law announces the first on-line legal journal dedicated solely to the internal law of the world’s indigenous peoples. The preview issue will be ready for the Federal Bar Association’s XXV Annual Indian Law Conference in Albuquerque, April 6–7, 2000.

The Tribal Law Journal will provide a forum for the discussion of indigenous law which encompasses tribal codes, case law, custom and usage. The Journal will include a review of indigenous nations’ legal systems and sources of law and provide access to tribal law for scholars, lawyers, and indigenous people throughout the world. A major feature of the Journal will be tribal law profiles which are guides to the various sources of law for individual indigenous nations. “We have chosen the on-line forum in order to utilize today’s technology, provide free access, and provide an interactive environment to discuss journal items,” stated Professor Christine Zuni Cruz, member of the Pueblo of Isleta, and faculty advisor to the student–based initiative.

“UNM has long had a dedicated history of promoting the study of law by and for Indian people. The Tribal Law Journal will serve both the needs of the Indian communities and the needs of lawyers and scholars for access to this rich body of law,” said Dean Robert Desiderio.