Tribal Juris-diction: Sovereign commitments and contradictions in the everyday discourses of Native Nation governance

Justin B. Richland, Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago

Responses:

Matthew Gilbert, American Indian Studies/History, University of Illinois

Korinta Maldonado Goti, Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin

Moderator:

Robert Warrior, American Indian Studies and English, University of Illinois

Traditionally, “the law” has been viewed as an instrument of colonial rule. After all, conquest typically involves the imposition of the conquering authority’s definition of what is and is not “legal.” Justin Richland is a student of a fascinating Native American legal system that was created in the image of Anglo-American-style law, but which functions according to Hopi notions of tradition and culture. He will describe this indigenous legal culture and lead a discussion of its meaning in the United States and beyond.