The governing body of the tribe is generally referred to as the tribal council and is made up of councilmen elected by vote of the adult members of the tribe and presided over by the tribal chairman. The tribal Council elected in this way has authority to speak and act for the tribe and to represent it in negotiations with federal, state, and local governments. However, the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 has provided for the creation of village and regional corporations under state law for the purpose of managing the money and lands granted by that act. The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936 provides for the organization of Indians tribes within the State of Oklahoma. Some tribes do hot operate under any of these acts but are organized under documents approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
Some tribes continue their traditional form of government.
The special rights of Indian tribes or individual Indians are generally based on treaties or other agreements between the United States and the Indians. Usually, the Indians paid a heavy price through the concession of lands to the United States for the rights they retained. These rights are part of their Indian heritage which they are entitled to keep in the same way that people are entitled to keep lands or other goods which they inherit from their ancestors.