Part 3: The Path to Constitutional Reform and Community Unity

Truth in Focus

LAME DEER, Mont. — Recent disputes over Northern Cheyenne government authority have renewed discussion about whether the written Constitution should be amended and, if so, how tribal citizens can lawfully begin that process.

Northern Cheyenne community member Lori Fourhorn put that concern plainly in a recorded statement to Truth in Focus: “We need a constitutional amendment. We need to fix our constitution so this doesn’t keep happening to our people.”

The legal starting point is Article X of the Northern Cheyenne Constitution, not Article XI. Article X governs constitutional amendments. Article XI is the Constitution’s separation-of-powers provision.

Under Article X, an amendment may be approved by a majority of qualified tribal voters participating in an election called for that purpose, provided at least 30 percent of eligible voters participate. The amendment does not become effective until approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

Article X also identifies two routes for triggering the election process: a request from two-thirds of the Tribal Council, or a petition signed by one-third of the Tribe’s qualified voters. Federal Secretarial-election procedures are governed by 25 CFR Part 81 when applicable.

The current Constitution already contains separation-of-powers language in Article XI. That means future reform discussions can distinguish between changing the constitutional text and improving how existing provisions are implemented in practice.

Questions that may arise in a future reform discussion include how clearly branch authority is defined, how public notices and official records are published, how traditional advisors and district voices participate in major decisions, and whether existing accountability procedures are sufficiently clear. Those are policy choices for Northern Cheyenne voters and institutions to consider; Truth in Focus is not endorsing a particular amendment or governance model.

Constitutional reform is therefore not something that can be accomplished by an informal announcement or by one official acting alone. The written Constitution establishes a formal process involving the Tribal Council or a qualified-voter petition, the tribal electorate, and—under the current amendment article—Secretarial approval.

Verifiable Direct Statements & Official Sources

Community testimony: Recorded statement by Northern Cheyenne community member Lori Fourhorn provided to Truth in Focus.

Constitutional framework: Northern Cheyenne Constitution & Bylaws, Article X (Amendments) and Article XI (Separation of Powers).

Federal procedure: 25 CFR Part 81, Secretarial Election Procedures.