Manataba Messenger

Page 2 THE CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS OF THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES OF THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION OF CALIFORNIA & ARIZONA Why everything must start with the Constitution and why it’s crucial 1. The Constitution is the rules of our political organization. These rules and regu- lations lay down the nation’s base so that it can run without any issue or dispute. 2. The Constitution forms the basic structure of our government; it is the stability: The Constitution is important because it lays down all the legal and cultural aspects under which its people and the governmental bodies will be governed. 3. Governs the power distribution: The Constitution defines the powers and lets everyone related to our tribe know about the authority and governmental and legal body has. The Constitution helps regulate the relationship between the government and the people so that no one part can mistreat the power in any way possible. 4. A Constitution is superior to all the reservation laws, which means the Constitution itself passes down any law or provision circulated in the nation. Every law enacted by the government has to be in conventionality with the Constitution. This means that no one or no legal body will be able to speak upon the Constitution. 5. The Constitution lays down the goals of our tribe; by dreams, we mean to say that any aspiring objective that our reservation has. As every tribal nation has some point to reach that is planned in their mind, the Constitution will help achieve goals. 6. Basic rights: The Constitution guarantees some rights and provisions for any individual or group of people on behalf of which they can ensure their well-being and dignity. It helps the people of our reservation to avail of all the fundamental rights they are deemed for. Some of the most basic rights protected by the Constitution are the right to life, freedom, right to property, and happiness and safe- ty. 7. Power transfer at the time of a catastrophic governmental emergency: One of the things that make the Constitution a critical document for our tribe is that it controls the transfer of power at a widespread crisis. So, this answers the question of why the Constitution is essential. The Constitution is the spine of the reservation, and we should respect its existence and dignity while ensuring that everyone follows its rules and provisions.