Navajo courts and Navajo common law : a tradition of tribal self-governance / Raymond D. Austin ; foreword by Robert A. Williams, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Austin, Raymond Darrel.

Series:

Indigenous Americas

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Navajo courts.

Navajo law.

Navajo Indians--Social life and customs.

Navajo Indians.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 268 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, [2009]

Summary:

In this remarkable work, Justice Raymond D. Austin considers the history and implications of how the Navajo Nation courts, the largest and most established tribal legal system in the world, apply foundational NaVajo doctrines to modern legal issues. In addition to detailed case studies, Justice Austin provides a broad view of tribal law, documenting the development of tribal courts as important institutions of indigenbus self-governance and outlining how other indigenous peoples can draw on traditional precepts to achieve self-determination and self-government, solve community problems, and control their own futures.

Contents:

Modern Issues, Ancient Traditions: Going Back to Fundamental Values xvii

1 The Navajo Nation Court System

Brief Navajo History

History of the Navajo Nation Courts Modern Navajo Nation Courts 1

2 Foundational Dine Law Principles

Returning to Traditional Navajo Laws and Methods 37

3 HózhQ́ (Peace, Harmony, and Balance)

HózhQ́ in Navajo Culture

HózhQ́ in the Navajo Nation Courts 53

4 K's é(Kinship Unity through Positive Values)

K'é in Navajo Culture

K'é in the Navajo Nation Courts

K'é Informs Individual and Community Rights

K'é as the Basis for Equitable Rights 83

5 K'éi (Descent, Clanship, and Kinship)

K'éi in Navajo Culture

K'éi informs Traditional Domestic Matters

K'éi in the Navajo Nation Courts Descent and Distribution 137

Conclution

Law Is the Product of Human Experience 199

Glossary of Navajo Words and Kinship Terms 203.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9780816665358

0816665354

9780816665365

0816665362

OCLC:

351313269