Article XXI: What ADRIP Says About Indigenous Self-Government
How the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples protects the right of Indigenous peoples to govern themselves.
Read on aboriginalministryofjustice.org →
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NnakinaXi-Amaru Fears · Chief, business educator and speaker
I am the Chief of the Xi-Amaru Republic and a certified tribal jurist. My work shows what it means to be Indigenous today: present, modern and self-governing. I teach business and speak on Indigenous rights, autonomy and leadership for business owners, organizations and communities.
Participant · OAS IX Inter-American Week of Indigenous Peoples, 2026Featured · CEO TimesFeatured · USA NewsFounder · Aboriginal Ministry of JusticeChief · Xi-Amaru RepublicBusiness EducatorCertified Tribal JuristEnglish · Español
Our perspective
Indigenous, today.
Too often, being Indigenous is pictured as something from the past: a way of life frozen in another century, kept in a museum or a history book.
That picture leaves out the people living now. As Xi-Amaru Native Americans, we raise families, build businesses, run our own institutions and govern ourselves in the modern world, without leaving our identity behind.
My work is to show what it means to be Indigenous in the world today: rooted in our history, and fully part of the present.
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Leadership. Vision. Community.
Know where you come from.
Our heritage belongs to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, carried forward by the families who kept our stories alive. Every people has a history worth knowing. My work begins there.
What is the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice?
About
Chief Nnakina Xi-Amaru Fears.
Nnakina Xi-Amaru Fears is the founding Chief of the Xi-Amaru Republic, an autonomous, self-governing Indigenous nation, and the founder of the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice, the institution through which the Republic serves its people.
Born in Roatán, Honduras, she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and is a business educator. She teaches entrepreneurs and business owners how to start, structure and protect what they build, and brings that operator's discipline to everything she leads. Since 2019 she has worked to restore identity and dignity to Indigenous peoples who were misclassified during colonization, grounding that work in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (ADRIP).
In November 2021 she founded the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice, and on December 17, 2022, the Xi-Amaru Republic was established. Under her leadership the Republic adopted its constitution in 2024, opened a walk-in office in Memphis, and built citizenship, education and community programs. In August 2026 she took part in the Organization of American States' IX Inter-American Week of Indigenous Peoples, contributing in English and Spanish to a conversation on Indigenous participation and dialogue with the OAS.
She is a certified tribal jurist and teaches the Entry-Level Tribal Law Course. Her Christian faith guides her leadership. She is a wife to James Fears and a mother, and she leads with the conviction that a people always comes before its system.
- Founded
- Aboriginal Ministry of Justice, 2021
- Established
- Xi-Amaru Republic, 2022
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Education
- B.B.A., Business Administration
Speaking
Invite me to your podcast, panel or stage.
I speak on two subjects I live every day: business and Indigenous rights. I work with business owners, organizations and communities, and every talk is shaped around your audience.
- Business
Build, Structure and Protect Your Business
Practical business education for owners and entrepreneurs: getting started, structuring well, and protecting what you build.
- Indigenous rights
Rights Are Exercised, Not Granted
What the UN and American declarations on Indigenous rights mean in practice, explained plainly.
- Leadership
Autonomy by Design
What Indigenous self-governance teaches founders and organizations about building structures that last.
- Identity & community
Every People Predates Its System
Identity, belonging and community building, and why nations begin with people.
PodcastInterviewKeynotePanelWorkshopVirtual event
Upcoming events
Join us at the next gathering.
Government meetings, classes and community gatherings of the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice and the Xi-Amaru Republic, updated automatically from the official calendar.
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Recommended reading
Understand the Xi-Amaru Republic and the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice.
The Aboriginal Ministry of Justice is the institution through which the Xi-Amaru Republic serves its people: identity, records, citizenship and education. Start with these articles from both.
What a Tribal ID Represents: Belonging, Self-Identification and Self-Determination
Why identification issued by an Indigenous nation is about belonging and responsibility, not a card.
Read on aboriginalministryofjustice.org →Can Anyone Just Declare Themselves Indigenous?
What real tribal verification involves, and why a claim needs a system behind it.
Read on aboriginalministryofjustice.org →How to Start Your Path to Xi-Amaru Republic National Status
The first step for families exploring citizenship through the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice.
Read on aboriginalministryofjustice.org →How to Register a Tribal Business in the Xi-Amaru Republic
What a tribal business is and how owners register one through AMJ.
Read on aboriginalministryofjustice.org →Chief Nnakina Represents the Xi-Amaru Republic at the OAS
Highlights from the IX Inter-American Week of Indigenous Peoples, August 2026.
Read on aboriginalministryofjustice.org →Learn Tribal Law and Indigenous Rights
Plain-language lessons on tribal law, jurisdiction and self-government from the Republic.
Read on xiamarurepublic.org →ADRIP and UNDRIP Explained
How the American and United Nations declarations on the rights of Indigenous peoples apply.
Read on xiamarurepublic.org →Glossary of Indigenous Governance Terms
Key terms used in Indigenous law, status and self-governance, defined clearly.
Read on xiamarurepublic.org →Learn
Learn the foundations with me.
Entry-Level Tribal Law Course
Ten modules on the foundations of tribal law, UNDRIP and ADRIP protections, Indigenous misclassification and governance, with live sessions and real case studies. Three tiers, including a certificate track.
View the course
Entry-Level Tribal Law Course Workbook
The companion workbook to the course: exercises, case studies and reference pages you can work through at your own pace. 267 pages, instant PDF download.
$27Digital download. All sales are final: see our No Refund Policy. By purchasing you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.
Press
Featured in.
- Aboriginal Ministry of Justice · Aug 2026Chief Nnakina takes part in the OAS Inter-American Week of Indigenous Peoples
- CEO Times · May 2025“The Xi-Amaru Republic is not just about governance; it’s about healing.”
- USA News · May 2025Restoring a nation: building a future for Indigenous peoples in America
- Aboriginal Ministry of JusticeBiography of Nnakina Xi-Amaru Fears
Speaking & media requests
Interviews, podcasts, events and keynotes
- Takes about 10 minutes
- Have your event details, dates, audience and budget ready
- Requests are reviewed by the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice team
The name I carry
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.”1 John 4:18
Fears is my family name. Fearless is the standard I hold myself to: speaking plainly about rights and law in rooms that aren't always ready to hear it, and doing it with love for the people I serve.
The Nation
The Xi-Amaru Republic.
A people always comes before its system. The Xi-Amaru Republic is an autonomous, self-governing Indigenous nation that identifies, documents and serves its people, grounded in UNDRIP and ADRIP. Its work is carried out through the Aboriginal Ministry of Justice.
EstablishedDec 17, 2022
CitizenshipTwo pathways
FrameworkUNDRIP · ADRIP
People make history.
Citizens, elders and children gathered to open the Republic's walk-in office, a home built by and for the people it serves.
Read the storyConnect
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