First Nations:
Organizational structure
Assembly of First Nations (AFN)
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the national representative organization of
the First Nations in Canada. There are over 630 First Nation's communities in
Canada. The AFN Secretariat is designed to present the views of the various First
Nations through their leaders in areas such as: Aboriginal and Treaty Rights,
Economic Development, Education, Languages and Literacy, Health, Housing,
Social Development, Justice, Taxation, Land Claims, Environment, and a whole
array of issues that are of common concern which arise from time to time.
The Chiefs meet annually to set national policy and direction through resolution.
The National Chief is elected every three years by the Chiefs-in-Assembly. The
present National Chief, of the Assembly of First Nations is Shawn Atleo. The Chiefs
meet between the annual assemblies every 3 to 4 months in a forum called the
"Confederacy of Nations" to set ongoing direction. The membership of the
Confederacy consists of Chiefs and other Regional Leaders chosen according
to a formula based on the population of each region. The AFN receives most of
its operating funds from the Department of Indian Affairs.
The overall structure of the AFN is based on the Charter of the Assembly of First
Nations, which was adopted in July 1985. The principal organs of the Assembly
of First Nations are: the First Nations-in-Assembly; the Confederacy of Nations;
the Executive Committee; the Secretariat (AFN/NIB); and the Council of Elders.
The Executive Committee is made up of the Regional Vice-Chiefs, the National
Chief, and the Chairperson of the Council of Elders. Chiefs of their respective
regions select the Vice-Chiefs. The Chiefs in Assembly elect the National Chief
every three years.

http://www.afn.ca/index.php/en/about-afn/description-of-the-afn
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN)
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) is the representative body
of Saskatchewan’s seventy-four First Nations, committed to honoring the spirit
and intent of the provincial treaties made with the First Nations in the 1870s. The
FSIN is a complex organization consisting of the Chiefs-in-Assembly, a Senate, an
Elders Council, an Executive, an Executive Council, and an Indian Government
Commission. Other aspects include an Auditor General, Treasury Board, and five
major commissions: Lands and Resources, Economic and Community
Development, EDUCATION and Training, Health and Social Development, and
Justice. Members of the CREE, SAULTEAUX, Assiniboine, Dakota/Sioux, and DENE
Nations form the FSIN, which recognizes the autonomy and jurisdiction of each
of Saskatchewan’s First Nations. Ten tribal councils and eleven independent First
Nations are also affiliated.

http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/federation_of_saskatchewan_indian_nation
s_fsin.html
Tribal Councils (ex. Saskatoon Tribal Council)
Tribal Councils are not defined under the Indian Act. Tribal Councils are mainly
political organizations but some also administer community programs and
services. Some Bands choose to affiliate with Tribal Councils while others
do not. Each Tribal Council decides its own political priorities and these priorities
vary from area to area and from time to time. Each First Nation determines its
own political priorities and organizational structures to address them.

http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/site.nsf/eng/ao26466.html
Local Band Councils examples (Kinistin, James Smith, Red Earth)
Band Council: Governing or administrative body of a Band, elected according
to procedures laid out in the Indian Act. They may either be an elected or
custom council under the Act. The councillors are elected by eligible band
members.
Local Band Governance
Information
Definition
Source
Membership Authority
The law under which membership (or
citizenship) is determined. (Ex. Indian Act,
Cree-Naskapi Act, Sechelt Act, etc.).
Indian Registry
System (IRS)
Election System
The type of system used by a First Nation to
govern its election of Chief's and Councillors.
Can be under the Indian Act election system, a
custom system, or under the provisions of a
self-governing agreement.
Band Governance
Management System
(BGMS)
Council Quorum
The number of council members required for a
meeting of the First Nation Council to be "duly
convened".
Band Governance
Management System
(BGMS)
*For definitions/terminology please reference the following sites:
 http://www.sd79.bc.ca/programs/abed/acip/vocab_sheets/aboriginal_
definitions_terms.pdf
 http://www.fnmr.gov.sk.ca/community/glossary/
*Note there are chiefs at each level( a chief and council can be changed
with band council and INAC approval to make the length that a chief and
council operates longer than two years.
*Note information from the Indian Act
First Nations Organizational structure:
 The Indian Act established a system of elected band councils to
govern reserve communities. Today there are over 633 First
Nations bands in Canada operating under band councils.
 Under section 74 of the Indian Act, bands must elect a chief and a
council every two years. However, should a band use customary
band elections, the band then decides who will vote and when a
term of office ends.
 Any election held under the Indian Act can be overturned by the
federal cabinet.
 Only residents of a reserve who are registered on a band list and
who are 18 years of age or older may vote.
 Each band can elect one chief and one band councilor for every
100 band members, but there cannot be fewer than two, or more
than 12, band councilors.
 Band councils oversee local matters on reserves, such as law and
order, road construction, local works projects, land surveying and
zoning, public games and amusements, fish and game stocks,
daycare and senior support services, and qualifications for band
residency.
 The chief and the council pass bylaws concerning these matters,
called band council resolutions. Before these resolutions can
become law, they must be submitted to Indian Affairs and Northern
Affairs Canada, which has the power to disallow any resolution it
sees fit.
 Many First Nations peoples feel that this process restricts their
rights and conflicts with their traditional methods of decision
making. They believe they have a right to make decisions that are
in the best interest of the First Nations people. They would like
self-government of their people to become a reality.
Define:
Elected Chief
A person who was elected by
the people of a nation to
oversee the day to day
operations (under the Indian
Act). This person would not be
seen as an elder who would be
a spiritual leader but more of a
politician.
Hereditary Chief
A leader in the community that
has the task of passing down
the traditional laws of that
nation, they also have the
responsibility of maintaining the
creation stories, songs and
dances. This is mostly found in
the tribes in British Columbia.
This is the governing body for a
band. It usually consists of a
chief and councilors who are
elected (under the Indian Act or
band custom) for two or three-
Band council
year terms to carry out band
business, which may include
education, water and sewer,
fire services, community
buildings, schools, roads.
Treaty
An agreement between two
states/nations that has been
formally concluded and ratified.
Self-government
Government of a political unit
by its own people
Assembly Of First
Nations
A body of First Nations leaders
in Canada. The aims of the
organization are to protect the
rights, treaty obligations,
ceremonies, and claims of
citizens of the First Nations in
Canada.