What Does it Mean 'To Build a Nation?' Reimagining Indigenous Political Identity in an Era of Self-Determination

Abstract:     
This article is a transcript of Professor Tsosie’s lecture at the Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal 2005 Symposium. Professor Tsosie covers the topic of “nationhood” as it relates to protecting the political rights of indigenous peoples. Specifically, she discusses the notion of self-determination, which she claims has a different meaning under domestic U.S. law than it does under contemporary international law. Professor Tsosie refers to the Native peoples of Hawaii and the controversy over the Alaska bill to illustrate the conflicts between domestic and international law. She explores the possibilities within domestic, international, and indigenous law in terms of re-thinking Hawaii in a contemporary context.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 27

Keywords: Indigenous people, international law, political rights

Accepted Paper Series