Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Native American tribal peoples possessed an extensive culture and complex system of social relations long before the advent of European colonization and the destruction of indigenous civilization. One of the elements of that culture consisted of sophisticated mechanisms for resolving disputes within and between communities. The legal systems developed by the Native Americans tended to differ from region to region, as did tribal economic and cultural systems. For example, the Kiowa, Cheyenne and Comanche had a system of law that "was unique unto itself .... Rather than being lawless, the traditional Native American was highly legalistic."1