Office of the Northern
Cheyenne Tribal Council

Section 1.  Enumerated Powers. The Tribal Council of the Northern Cheyenne shall exercise the following powers, subject to any limitations imposed by the applicable statutes of the United States and subjects further to all express restrictions upon such powers contained in this Constitution and the attached Bylaws:

(a)  To negotiate with the Federal, State, and local governments, on behalf of the Tribe, and to advise and consult with the representatives of the Interior Department on all activities of the Department that may affect the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.

(b)  To employ legal counsel for the protection and advancement of the rights of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and its members, the choice of counsel and fixing of fees to be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior.

(c)  To approve or prevent any sale, disposition, lease or encumbrance of tribal lands, interests in lands or other tribal assets, including mineral, gas and oil.

(d)  To advise the Secretary of the Interior with regard to all appropriation estimates or Federal projects for the benefit of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe prior to the submission of such estimates to Bureau of the Budget and to Congress.

(e)  To engage in any business that will further the economic well-being of the members of the Tribe and to undertake any economic activity of any nature whatever not inconsistent with law or any of the provisions of this Constitution.

(f)   To administer any finds within the control of the Tribe; to make expenditures from available funds for tribal purposes, including salaries and expenses of tribal officials or employees. All expenditures of tribal funds under control of the Tribal Council shall be by resolution duly approved by a majority of the Tribal Council in legal session and the amounts so expended shall be a matter of public record at all times.

(g)  To levy taxes or assessments upon members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and to require the performance of community labor in lieu thereof, and to levy taxes or license fees, subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior, upon nonmembers doing business within the Reservation.

(h)  To exclude from the restricted lands of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation persons not legally entitled to reside therein, under ordinances which shall be subject to review by the secretary of the Interior.

(i)   To promulgate and enforce ordinances which shall be subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior, governing the conduct of members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and any other person or persons coming within the jurisdiction of the reservation, and providing for the maintenance of law and order and the administration of justice by establishing a reservation court and defining its duties and powers.

(j)   To purchase, under condemnation proceedings in courts of competent jurisdiction, land and other property needed for public purposes, subject to the approval of the Secretary and the Interior.

(k)  To protect and preserve the property, wildlife, and natural resources of the Tribe and to regulate the conduct of trade and the use and disposition of property upon the reservation, provided, that any ordinance directly affecting nonmembers of the Tribe shall be subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior.

(l)   To cultivate and preserve native arts, crafts, culture, and Indian ceremonials.

(m)  To administer charity and to protect the health and general welfare of the Tribe.

(n)   To establish subordinate organizations of members of the Tribe for economic purposes.

(o)  To regulate the inheritance of property, real and personal, other than alloteed lands, within, the territory of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior, and to consult with the Examiner of Inheritance in all heirship findings before they are submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for determination.

(p)  To regulate the domestic relations of members of the Tribe and of nonmembers married into the Tribe.

(q)  To provide for the appointment of guardians for minors and mental incompetents by ordinance or resolution subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior.

(r)  To adopt resolutions regulating the procedures of the Council, other tribal agencies, and tribal officials of the reservation.

(s)   To delegate to subordinate boards or officers or to cooperative associates which are open to all members of the Tribe any of the foregoing powers, reserving the right to review any action taken by virtue of such delegated powers.

Section 2. Future Powers. The Tribal Council of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe may exercise such future powers as may in the future powers as may in the future by given to the Council by members of the Tribe through the adoption of appropriate Bylaws and Constitutional amendments.  

Section 3. Reserved Powers. Any right and powers heretofore vested in the Northern Cheyenne Tribe but not expressly referred to in this Constitution shall not be abridged by this article, but may be exercised by the people of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe through the adoption of appropriate Bylaws and Constitutional amendments.

Section 4. Manner of Review. Any resolution of ordinance which pursuant to this Constitution is subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior, shall be presented to the Superintendent of the Reservation within ten (10) days enactment by the Tribal Council, and the Superintendent shall, within ten (10) days after receipt, approve or disapprove same.

If the Superintendent shall approve any ordinance or resolution, it shall thereupon become effectives but the Superintendent shall transmit a copy of the same, bearing his endorsement, to the Secretary of the Interior, who may within ninety (90) days from the date of enactment rescind the said ordinance or resolution for any cause by notifying the Tribal Council of decision.

If the Superintendent shall refuse to approve any ordinance or resolution, it shall thereupon become effective, but the Superintendent shall transmit a copy of the same, bearing his endorsement, to the Secretary of the Interior, who may within ninety (90) days from the date of enactment rescind the said ordinance or resolution for any cause by notifying the Tribal Council of such decision.

If the Superintendent shall refuse to approve any ordinance or resolution submitted to him within ten (10) days after its receipt, he shall advise the Tribal Council of his reasons therefor. If these reasons appear to the Council insufficient, it may, by a majority vote, refer the ordinance or resolution to the Secretary of the Interior, who may withing ninety (90) days from the date of its enactment approve the same in writing, whereupon the said ordinance or resolution shall become effective.