Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities

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“Indian tribes are distinct, independent political communities with powers of self- government that exist by reason of their original tribal sovereignty.” -
                        
          Worcester v. Georgia (1832)




The Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities is an American Indian lineage tribe headquartered in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. The tribe operates as a full function government with a tribal court, tribal law enforcement officers, tribal automobile statutes as well as other various tribal agencies. The tribes’ governmental function is described in the Nevada v. Hicks (2001) federal case, which states that “Tribal assertion of regulatory authority must be connected to that right of the Indians to make their own laws and be governed by them.”.

The Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities services coincides with the (1981) federal case, of Montana v. United States, in which clarified that "tribal nations possess inherent power over their internal affairs and civil authority within tribal lands to the extent necessary to protect health, welfare, economic interests or political integrity of the tribal nation".


The Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian
Communities are based in the region
of the beautiful Pocono, Bushkill,
Pennsylvania area.

This Pennsylvanian locality has a rich
and colorful Indian history of respect
for nature and Mother Earth’s
creations. With breathe taking scenery
and oneness with the Creator’s
inhabitants.
The Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities were imbued from the ideology of inherent sovereignty for the American Indians. In principal to the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, in which encourages American Indian Tribes to re-establish self governments. In pursuant of United States v. Wheeler, 435 U.S. 313, 322 (1978), It is the long history, which predates the founding of this country, of tribes "as self-governing sovereign political communities" which establishes their claim of 
sovereignty. Id., at 323.

GOVERNMENT

According to the Saw Creek and Pine
Ridge Indian Communities
Constitution, adopted in 2018, the Saw
Creek and Pine Ridge Indian
Communities tribal government consist
of three (3) separate branches. As
illustrated in the constitution, Article
V. Distribution of Powers:
“The powers of the government of the Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian
Communities shall be divided into three (3) separate branches: Legislative,
Executive and Judicial; and except as provided in this Constitution, the
Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government shal be separate and distinct and no branch shall exercise the powers properly belonging to either of the others”. In 2018, the tribal government of the Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities approved Automobile Statutes for the dwellers under the Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities' authority.
As outlined in the Automobile Statutes, § 1. Findings and determinations:
(b) The Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities Assembly hereby finds and determines that the development and implementation of this automobile licensing statute is sufficient to preempt most state laws and hereby respectfully exempt nonresidents in the same manner offered other governing jurisdictions. Pursuant to the DRIVER LICENSE COMPACT, ARTICLE VI, APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS, Except as expressly required by provisions of this compact, nothing contained herein shall be construed to affect the right of any party state to apply any of its other laws relating to licenses to drive to any person or circumstance, nor to invalidate or prevent any driver license agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a party state and a non-party state.
Along with our tribal inherent sovereignty, the responsibility of self-government has produced a court of law and jurisdiction for the Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities. As stated in the Court Rules of the Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities Tribal Court Handbook, Section V., Jurisdiction (1), The Tribal Court shall have original jurisdiction extending to all cases, matters or controversies arising under and as may be limited by the laws, ordinances, regulations, customs and judicial decisions of the Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities. In conception with, Williams v. Lee, 358 U.S. 217, 220 (1959), Tribes possess the inherent authority “to make their own laws and to be ruled by them.”
 

As signed and confirmed by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson, in the CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1968 [Public Law 90–284, 82 Stat. 73] and 25 U.S.C. Title 25 – INDIANS CHAPTER 15 -CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF INDIANS §1322. (C) Force and effect of tribal ordinances or customs, Any tribal ordinance or custom heretofore or hereafter adopted by an Indian tribe, band, or community in the exercise of any authority which it may possess shall, if not inconsistent with any applicable civil law of the State, be given full force and effect in the determination of civil causes of action pursuant to this section. (Pub. L. 90–284, title IV, §402, Apr. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 79.)


THE COURT OF JURISDICTION:



FORMS:


Contact:

Saw Creek and Pine Ridge Indian Communities
4110 Winchester Way
Bushkill, Pennsylvania 18324

917.376.5051

 
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