The freely available guide, "Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction" developed by the National Congress of American Indians, seeks to provide a basic overview of the history and underlying principles of tribal governance.

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare organization, and the oldest and largest organization made up of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and their citizens to advocate on their behalf

Located in Boulder, this international non-profit governed by 13 Native American members works with indigenous and tribal groups around the world to protect tribal rights, resources, and advise governments on policy. Their publications include a guide to writing tribal constitutions.

In Indigenous Peoples in International Law, CU Law professor and Dean, James Anaya, explores the development and contours of international law as it concerns the world's indigenous peoples, culturally distinctive groups that are descended from the original inhabitants of lands now dominated by others.

"Indigenous people in the U.S. and Canada define self-determination as the right to be recognized as an autonomous nation with international status free from paternalistic intervention by settler-state governments. The discourse on Native self-governance suggests that self-determination can be best realized through Native centered practices and logics." Article by CU Scholar, Natalie Avalos.