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Caddo Nation Constitution Project
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Background
· The Caddo Nation constitution, initially ratified in 1938, began as a generic constitution model created by the United States Department of Interior. The model was for Tribes to adopt and modify as needed when creating their own constitutions. However, many Tribal Nations adopted the language of the model without changing it to reflect their unique cultures, histories, or governments.
· The action former Caddo leaders took to establish the Caddo Nation Constitution and By-Laws at that time is greatly respected. It is even more remarkable, considering it had been only 80 years since the Caddo people had arrived in Indian Territory after decades of turmoil and removal from homelands.
· As the Caddo Nation has evolved and its citizenship has grown to 8,000 strong, it is time that the Constitution be assessed to ensure it reflects who we are and the needs of our Nation in the 21stCentury and those of future Caddo generations.
Current Status
We are now in Phase II of the Caddo Constitution Project. The Caddo Nation Tribal Council passed a resolution on January 23, 2025 establishing a Caddo Constitution Commission and is in the process of appointing the Commission members. Once appointed, the Commission will lead the effort, along with the project coordinator. The process will take approximately six months beginning in April 2025 for the Commission to meet, gather information and data, host Citizen Outreach Meetings, launch citizen surveys, and draft new Constitutional language which would be voted on during a REFERENDUM ELECTION conducted by the Commission.
Snapshot of Timeline
Phase I - Research and Analysis Completed December 2024
Phase II - Establishment of the Caddo Constitution Commission which leads efforts to identify and draft potential revisions to the Caddo Constitution via citizen outreach meetings and surveys
Final Outcome - Referendum Election held where citizens vote on proposed constitutional revisions
Caddo Constitution Project Leaders
- CADDO CONSTITUTION COMMISSION
The Caddo Nation Tribal Council is in the process of nominating and appointing the Caddo Constitution Commission members (6-8) and once seated, they will be listed here. - Stacey Halfmoon (Caddo) is the project coordinator.
- The Constitution Project is supported and funded by the Caddo Nation Tribal Council; however, the process for Constitutional Revision will be led by the Caddo Constitution Commission as an independent Commission.
HOW do we stay updated?
· The Caddo Nation will share regular updates through all official Tribal channels: the Caddo Nation website, the Caddo Nation newspaper, and social media pages such as Facebook and Instagram. www.mycaddonation.com
CONTACT
PROJECT COORDINATOR
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