...based on the 1934 version of § 16 of the IRA (codified at 25 USC 5476), which provided at that time that "(a]ny Indian tribe, or tribes, residing on the...the right to organize for its common welfare," and that such a tribe could adopt its own Constitution and bylaws, to become effective when ratified by...

...trust for it'« Any doubt about the effect of the 1959 Act on the Tribe's existence is put to rest IS. "Any Indian tribe, or tribes, residing on the same...the right to organize for its common welfare, and may adopt an appropriate constitution and bylaws " This provision was enacted in order to encourage...

...Indians, and whose Section 3 provided that "Any recognized tribe or band of Indians residing in Oklaboma shall have the right to organize for its common welfare and to adopt a constitution and by-laws. . . ,77 By these two extensions of the IRA, all potentially eligible Native Americans...

...status of groups that identified themselves as Indian. Section 16 of the Wheeler-Howard Act provided, "Any Indian tribe or tribes, residing on the same...have the right to organize for its common welfare. ..." Again because Indian organizations in the Puget Sound region were diverse in nature, because the...

...in any suit brought to recover upon any claim of such Indians against the United States. SECTION 16. Any Indian tribe, or tribes, residing on the same...the right to organize for its common welfare, and may adopt an appropriate constitution and bylaws, which shall become effective when ratified by a majority...

...and resources. Sections 16, 17, and 18 of the IRA address the tribal government process: Section 16. Any Indian tribe, or tribes, residing on the same...the right to organize for its common welfare, and may adopt an appropriate constitution and bylaws, which shall become effective when ratified by a majority...

...through the formation of specific forms of tribal government sanctioned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs: Any Indian tribe, or tribes, residing on the same...the right to organize for its common welfare, and may adopt an appropriate constitution and bylaws, which shall become effective when ratified by a majority...

...offsets in any suit brought to recover upon any claim of such Indians against the United States. Sec. 16. ( ⁀ / may adopt an appropriate constitution and bylaws, which shall become effective when ratified by a majority...

...established the basis for the adoption of tribal constitutions, is most crucial. That section reads, "Any Indian tribe or tribes, residing on the same...the right to organize for its common welfare, and may adopt an appropriate constitution and by-laws." The adopted constitution became effective upon...

...development, is the aspect we are most concerned with here. The section states, in pertinent part: Any Indian tribe, or tribes, residing on the same...the right to organize for its common welfare, and may adopt an appropriate constitution and bylaws, which shall become effective when ratified by a majority...