Tribal sovereignty in the ongoing disenrollment era

'What is a tribe without its citizens?'

(Photos courtesy Cam Foreman)

“A tribe is only as sovereign as it acts,” has been a common refrain heard by attendees of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) ongoing 79th annual convention and marketplace, held this year in Sacramento, Calif.

Fawn Sharp, president of NCAI and VP of the Quinault Indian Nation, has told attendees that protecting…