Moving to a New Country Again

As Native nations reclaim dominion over our histories, stories, and territories, we continue to grapple with how to transform our governance systems to navigate ongoing settler colonialism. Building on existing discussions about the importance of reintroducing Indigenous values into contemporary governance in the face of the politics of recognition, we offer the Osage principle of "moving to a new country." This principle marks the reproduction of Indigenous values through a process of continuous deliberation and adaptation to foster a unified and healthy government system, even in the midst of massive upheaval. Historical vignettes exemplify the process of moving to a new country as Osages sought order and unity amid attempts at assimilation and massive colonial devastation. In the twenty-first century, the Osage Nation Supreme Court's decisions offer a guide for the newly reconstituted government's debates over authority. Citing historical and contemporary characteristics of Osage life, the court is again linking living values of change, order, and unity to the nation's current government structure. Ultimately, the idea of moving offers a model for how Native nations could embrace ongoing change to support living values and meet contemporary needs

Colonialism · Corporate governance · Deliberation · Development economics · Dominion · Economics · Indigenous · Management · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · American Environmental and Regional History · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Law · Mormonism, Religion, and History · Race, History, and American Society · Finance

• Vital Relations

  Jean Dennison, Weomepe Designs•Vital Relations•2024

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