¹ The tribal governmental profile was conceived as a description and profile of a particular tribe’s law. Originally written to fulfill coursework in Professor Christine Zuni Cruz’s course, Law of Indigenous Peoples, the profile has been adapted to be more informative and less interpretive for purposes of the journal. We encourage the reader to view the Navajo Nation’s website at http://www.navajo.org.

² Enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and third year student at the University of New Mexico School of Law.

³ Third year student at the University of New Mexico School of Law and First Place Oralist of the 1998 and 2000 National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition.

⁴ Nelson Gorman, Jr., preface to, Navajo Nation Code at ix (1995).

⁵ Indian Reorganization Act, see, 25 U.S.C. § 476 (1994).

⁶ See generally, NNC tit.1 (Gen. Prov. 1995); NNC tit. 2 (Admin. Tribal Affairs 1995); NNC tit. 3 (Agric & Livestock 1995); NNC tit. 4 (Env’t 1995); NNC tit. 5 (Com. & Trade 1995); NNC tit. 5A (Navajo U.C.C. 1995); NNC tit. 6 (Comm. Dev. 1995); NNC tit. 7 (Cts. & Proc. 1995); NNC tit. 8 (Decedents’ Est. 1995); NNC tit. 9 (Dom. Rel. 1995); NNC tit. 10 (Educ. 1995); NNC tit. 11(Elec. 1995); NNC tit. 12 (Fiscal Matters 1995); NNC tit. 13 (Health & Welfare 1995); NNC tit. 14 (N. N. Motor Veh. C. 1995); NNC tit. 15 (Lab. 1995); NNC tit. 16 (Land 1995); NNC tit. 17 (L. & Ord. 1995); NNC tit. 18 (Mines & Minerals 1995); NNC tit. 19 (Parks & Monuments 1995); NNC tit. 20 (Prof. & Occ. 1995); NNC tit. 21(Pub. Util. & Comm. 1995); NNC tit. 22 (Water 1995); NNC tit. 23 (Conservation & Wildlife 1995); NNC tit. 24 (Tax. 1995).

⁷ Office of Navajo Government Development, Navajo Nation Government 9 (4th ed. 1998) [hereinafter Navajo Nation Government].

⁸ Id.

⁹ Id.

¹⁰ Id.

¹¹ Id.

¹² Id. at 15.

¹³ Navajo Nation Government, supra note 7, at 28.

¹⁴ Id.

¹⁵ Id. at 15.

¹⁶ Gorman, supra note 4, at x.

¹⁷ 2 NNC §§ 1001, 1002 (1995).

¹⁸ Id. § 1005 (1995).

¹⁹ Id. §§ 1002, 1003 (1995).

²⁰ Navajo Nation government, supra note 7, at 22-28. The divisions are: 1) Education, 2) Social Services, 3) Health, 4) Public Safety, 5) Finance, 6) General Services, 7) Economic Development, 8) Human Services, 9) Natural Resources, and 10) Community Development. Other executive offices are: the Tax Commission, Navajo-Hopi Land Development, Management and Budget, Navajo Nation Washington, D.C. Office, the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Public Defender. Id.

²¹ Id. at 22.

²² Id.

²³ Id. at 20.

²⁴ Id.

²⁵ 2 NNC § 282 (B) (1995).

²⁶ Id. § 285 (B)(1) (1995).

²⁷ Id. § 285 (B)(2) (1995).

²⁸ Id. § 285 (B)(4) (1995).

²⁹ Id. § 285 (B)(5) (1995).

³⁰ Navajo Nation government, supra note 7, at 21.

³¹ Id. at 18.

³² Id. at 21.

³³ 2 NNC § 285 (B)(6) (1995).

³⁴ Id. § 102(A) (1995).

³⁵ Id. § 102(B) (1995).

³⁶ Id. § 103 (1995).

³⁷ Id. § 105(A) (1995).

³⁸ Id. § 162(A) (1995).

³⁹ See Navajo Nation government, supra note 7, at 18-20. The twelve standing committees are: (1) Intergovernmental Relations Committee; (2) Budget and Finance Committee; (3) Economic Development Committee; (4) Education Committee; (5) Ethics and Rules Committee; (6) Government Services Committee; (7) Health and Social Services Committee; (8) Human Services Committee; (9) Judiciary Committee; (10) Public Safety Committee Resources Committee; (11)Transportation and Community Development Committee; (12) Resource Committee. Id.

⁴⁰ 2 NNC § 180 (1995).

⁴¹ Id. § 4001(B) (1995).

⁴² Navajo Nation government, supra note 7, at 33.

⁴³ 2 NNC § 4021(1995).

⁴⁴ Navajo Nation Government, supra note 7, at 33.

⁴⁵ Id.

⁴⁶ Id.

⁴⁷ Id. at 33-34.

⁴⁸ Id.

⁴⁹ Gorman, supra note 4, at x.

⁵⁰ This topic raises an interesting question about the interplay between traditional law and statutory law: Does the tribal council have the ultimate power to determine what is a customary law or not? In Means v. District Court of the Chinle Judicial District, 26 ILR 6083 (May 11, 1999) the Navajo Nation Supreme Court suggests that there is a membership status for non-Navajos. Id. at 6087.

⁵¹ 1 NNC § 702(A) (1995).

⁵² See Means v. District Court of the Chinle Judicial District, 26 ILR 6083 (May 11, 1999).

⁵³ Id.

⁵⁴ Id.

⁵⁵ Id. at 6087.

⁵⁶ 9 NNC § 4 (D)(1995).

⁵⁷ Bill Donovan, What Clan Are You?, Navajo Times, April 29, 1993, at 1.

⁵⁸ Id.

⁵⁹ Id.

⁶⁰ Id.

⁶¹ The Navajo Nation Marriage License includes a section for listing the Mother’s Clan and the Father’s Clan of the Man and the Woman. See 9 NNC § 6 (1995).

⁶² 9 NNC § 3 (D)(1995).

⁶³ Raymond Austin, Incorporating Tribal Customs and Traditions into Tribal Court Decisions 8-9 (1992)(on file with the UNM Tribal Law Journal).

⁶⁴ 10 NNC § 111 (1995).

⁶⁵ Id. § 112 (1995).

⁶⁶ Navajo Nation Government, supra note 7, at 29.

⁶⁷ Id.

⁶⁸ Id.

⁶⁹ 7 NNC § 354 (A)(1995).

⁷⁰ Id. § 354 (E)(1995).

⁷¹ Id.

⁷² 7 NNC § 204 (A) – © (1995).

⁷³ Id. § 204 (A) (1995)(emphasis added).

⁷⁴ See e.g., In re Certified Questions II, N.L.R. Supp. 84 (Nav. Sup. Ct. 1989).

⁷⁵ 7 NNC § 204 (A)(1995).

⁷⁶ See generally, Dawes v. Yazzie, 5 Nav. R. 161, 164-65, 5 N.L.R. 82, 84 (Nav. Sup. Ct. 1987).

⁷⁷ Id.

⁷⁸ Id.

⁷⁹ 7 NNC § 204 (B)(1995).

⁸⁰ Dawes , 5 Nav. R. 161, 165, 5 N.L.R. 82, 84 (Nav. Sup. Ct. 1987).

⁸¹ Id. at 165, 5 N.L.R. at 84.

⁸² Id. See also, Austin, supra note 63, at 8.

⁸³ See Dawes, 5 Nav. R. at 164-66, 5 N.L.R. at 83-4.

⁸⁴ Id. at 165, 5 N.L.R. at 84.

⁸⁵ See Id. at 165-66, 5 N.L.R. at 84.

⁸⁶ Id. at 167, 5 N.L.R. at 85.

⁸⁷ Id.

⁸⁸ Id.

⁸⁹ Id. at 166, 5 N.L.R. at 85.

⁹⁰ d. at 167, 5 N.L.R. at 85.

⁹¹ See Means, 26 ILR 6083 (May 11, 1999).

⁹² Navajo Nation v. Hunter, N.L.R. Supp. 429, 431 (Nav. Sup. Ct. 1996).

⁹³ See Alonzo v. Martine, N.L.R. Supp. 260, 261 (Nav. Sup. Ct. 1991).

⁹⁴ See Navajo Nation v. Platero, N.L.R. Supp. 278, 280 (Nav. Sup. Ct. 1991).

⁹⁵ Navajo Nation Government, supra note 7, at 30.

⁹⁶ Id.

⁹⁷ Id.

⁹⁸ Id.

⁹⁹ Chief Justice Robert Yazzie, Presentation at the University of New Mexico School of Law (October 28, 1999).