LAME DEER, Mont. — Asking for government records is not the same as accusing anyone of wrongdoing. Records can establish what decisions were made, who authorized them, which policies applied and how public resources were administered.
Federal FOIA and tribal records are different
The federal Freedom of Information Act generally provides a way to request existing records from federal executive-branch agencies, subject to legal exemptions. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture may hold responsive federal records. Sovereign tribal governments are not automatically subject to federal FOIA; their records are governed by applicable tribal law and procedures.
A tribal resolution may be held by tribal officials while related correspondence might separately exist in BIA files. A request to one office does not automatically obtain records held by the other.
Records and fair reporting
Meeting minutes, signed resolutions, contract records and agency correspondence can help answer questions about votes, appointments, spending and oversight. Those documents do not automatically prove that a decision was right or wrong. Responsible reporting also seeks responses from those involved, separates claims from verified facts and corrects errors.
A delayed response does not, by itself, prove wrongdoing. Still, accessible records and clear procedures help people understand governmental decisions affecting their communities.
Transparency and sovereignty
For the Northern Cheyenne Nation, transparency and sovereignty need not be opposing principles. Tribal self-government includes the authority to define records procedures and protect confidential information. Community members also have a legitimate interest in knowing how decisions affecting services and resources are made.
The goal of requesting records is not to prove a conclusion already reached. It is to learn what the evidence establishes.
Further reading: U.S. Department of Justice — About FOIA; BIA — FOIA guidance; BIA — FOIA Questions and Answers.
By Stephen Bullcoming Haworth | Copyright © 2026 Stephen Bullcoming Haworth & Corry Bullcoming Haworth.