The Native Nations Center strives to be recognized as the premier institute that conducts objective, tribally centered research in the areas of tribal governance and sovereignty while providing capacity building initiatives through ethical, collaborative partnerships.

The mission of the Native Nations Center is to serve Tribal Nations. By bridging Western and Indigenous knowledge structures, we produce exploratory, applied, and policy research for tribes in their advancement of governance and sovereignty. The Native Nations Center continually provides transformative capacity-building efforts, incorporating tribal values to deliver dynamic solutions. With an endeavor to uphold exceptional standards, we strengthen reciprocity between Tribal Nations and the University of Oklahoma while delivering essential services that were previously unavailable.

The Native Nations Center seeks to provide expertise in tribal economic development, tribal energy, environment/natural resources, tribal healthcare, and innovative technology.