Nc. Zaferatos, PLANNING THE NATIVE-AMERICAN TRIBAL COMMUNITY - UNDERSTANDING THE BASIS OF POWER CONTROLLING THE RESERVATION TERRITORY, Journal of the American Planning Association, 64(4), 1998, pp. 395-410
Native American tribes possess sovereign powers of self-government ove
r their internal affairs and over their self-reserved territories, in
order to support their continued existence. The powers of tribal land
use jurisdiction, however, are not clearly understood. This paper expl
ores the evolution of tribal governance and the problems that tribes f
ace in advancing their community goals through reservation planning. T
he context of tribal planning is examined with the practical aim of fo
rmulating approaches that overcome obstacles to attaining tribal objec
tives. It is necessary to understand the historical interferences conf
ronting tribal communities before identifying planning strategies to o
vercome opposition and advance tribal goals. Zaferatos, AICP has pract
iced in Indian Country for over eighteen years and is the General Mana
ger and Director of Planning for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
in Washington State. He received a doctorate in urban planning at the
University of Washington and is an adjunct faculty member at Western
Washington University. He is a founding board member of the Northwest
Tribal Planners Forum, dedicated to the advancement of tribal planning
professionalism in the Northwest, and chairs the Bellingham Planning
and Community Development Commission.