David E. Wilkins facts for kids

David E. Wilkins is an important expert on Native American issues. He is a citizen of the Lumbee Nation. He studies how Native American tribes govern themselves and how their laws work with the United States government.

Professor Wilkins teaches about leadership at the University of Richmond. He used to teach at the University of Minnesota. He focuses on topics like Native American self-governance and their relationships with other nations. He was also a student and friend of Vine Deloria Jr., another famous Native American scholar. Wilkins wrote several books with Deloria and also wrote about Deloria's ideas.

Education and Career Journey

Early Studies and Degrees

David Wilkins went to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He earned his first degree there in 1976. After that, he studied political science at the University of Arizona. He earned his master's degree there. His master's paper looked at how different groups defined "Indian" over time.

From 1984 to 1987, he taught at Dine' College. Then, he went back to North Carolina. In 1990, he earned his PhD in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His PhD research focused on how the U.S. Supreme Court made decisions about Native American tribes.

Teaching and Professorships

After getting his PhD, Wilkins taught at the University of Arizona. He became an assistant professor in 1991 and an associate professor in 1997. In 1999, he moved to the University of Minnesota. There, he became a professor in several departments, including American Indian Studies and Political Science.

In 2007, he received a special title at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, he became a distinguished professor at the University of Richmond. He has also been a visiting professor at other well-known schools. These include Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and Evergreen State College.

Important Research and Books

David Wilkins has written many books and articles. He has written a dozen books by himself. He has also co-written ten other books.

Understanding Native American Rights

In 1997, Wilkins published American Indian Sovereignty and the U.S. Supreme Court: The Masking of Justice. This book looks at how the U.S. Supreme Court made decisions that reduced the self-governance of Native American tribes. He studied 15 important cases over 170 years. He argued that some of these decisions were based on old, incorrect ideas about Native Americans. He believes the Supreme Court often struggled to understand agreements made between nations before the U.S. Constitution.

Navajo Government and Politics

His 1999 book, The Navajo Political Experience, explores how the Navajo Nation developed its own legal system. This system was shaped by both their own traditions and their interactions with the U.S. government. This book was so important that it was published in four different editions by 2013.

In 2002, he released American Indian Politics and the American Political System. This book explains the history and current issues of Native American governments within the U.S. It was recognized as an "Outstanding Academic Title." He updated this book in 2007. He also co-authored a third edition in 2011 and a fourth edition in 2018 with Heidi Stark.

Continuing the Work of Others

In 2013, Wilkins published Hollow Justice: A History of Indigenous Claims in the United States. This book continued a project started by his mentor, Vine Deloria Jr. It looks at the history of legal claims made by Native American groups. This includes cases in courts like the United States Court of Federal Claims and the Indian Claims Commission. It also covers the important Cobell v. Salazar case.

Wilkins also wrote Red Prophet: The Punishing Intellectualism of Vine Deloria, Jr. in 2018. He had previously co-written two books with Vine Deloria Jr. These were Tribes, Treaties, and Constitutional Tribulations (1999) and The Legal Universe: Observations on the Foundations of American Law (2011).

Collaborations and Recent Works

In 2001, Wilkins co-authored Uneven Ground: American Indian Sovereignty and Federal Law with K. Tsianina Lomawaima. This book was also named an "Outstanding Academic Title." It was even listed as one of the 10 most influential books by the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association.

In 2017, he wrote Dismembered: Native Disenrollment and the Battle for Human Rights with his wife, Shelly Hulse Wilkins. She is an expert in how tribes and states work together. This book discusses how some Native Americans have been removed from their tribal membership. In 2024, they also co-edited Of Living Stone: Perspectives on Continuous Knowledge and the Work of Vine Deloria, Jr. This book includes writings from artists, activists, and scholars who discuss Deloria's lasting influence.

Also in 2024, Oxford University Press published his book Indigenous Governance: Clans, Constitutions, and Consent. This book is a detailed look at Native political systems. It covers their beginnings, how they grew, and how they work.

Awards and Recognition

David Wilkins's work is often recommended for studying Native American law. He is seen as a very important figure in Native American civil rights. In 2007, he received the Dean's Medal from the University of Minnesota. In 2019, he won the Daniel Elazar Distinguished Federalism Scholar Award. This award is given for important contributions to the study of how different levels of government work together.

Selected Books by David E. Wilkins

• Dine' Bibeehaz'aanii: A Handbook of Navajo Government, 1987
• American Indian Sovereignty and the U.S. Supreme Court: The Masking of Justice, 1997
• The Navajo Political Experience, first edition, 1999
• Tribes, Treaties, and Constitutional Tribulations, 2000
• American Indian Politics and the American Political System, first edition, 2002
• Uneven Ground: American Indian Sovereignty and Federal Law, 2002
• Native Voices: American Indian Identity and Resistance, 2003
• On the Drafting of Tribal Constitutions - Felix S. Cohen, 2006
• Documents of Native American Political Development, 1500 to 1933, 2009
• The Legal Universe: Observations of the Foundations of American Law, 2011
• The Hank Adams Reader, 2011
• Hollow Justice: A History of Indigenous Claims in the United States, 2013
• Dismembered: Native Disenrollment and the Battle for Human Rights, 2017
• Red Prophet: The Punishing Intellectualism of Vine Deloria, Jr., 2018
• Documents of Native American Political Development, 1933 to Present, 2019
• Of Living Stone: Perspectives on Continuous Knowledge and the Work of Vine Deloria, Jr., 2024
• Indigenous Governance: Clans, Constitutions, and Consent, 2024