Tribal Court of the Grand Traverse Band | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

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In 1980, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) obtained federal recognition and, in 1988, developed a constitutional government. In this process, GTB’s leaders were acutely aware that developing a constitutional government was not about constitution writing alone. The challenge was also to develop a government that accorded with community members’ beliefs about who should hold authority and how it should be exercised, so that the system outlined in the written constitution would be both workable and sustainable. For the Grand Traverse Band Tribal Court to truly to operate as the fundamental institution of government envisioned by its founders, it would need to be used by tribal members, operate in a way tribal members appreciated, and be able to exercise its independence effectively. Just ten years after opening, their Court grew into a well-functioning and oft-used institution, hearing as many as 500 cases a year.