Indigenous Notes

Dates are set for the 12th and 13th negotiation sessions of the Working
Group on the Draft OAS American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (More…)

El Grupo de Trabajo encargado de elaborar el Proyecto de Declaración Americana sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas anunció las fechas de las próximas reuniones preparatorias y sesiones de negociación. (Mas…)

The Center advises the Navajo Nation, Six Nations, and the Innu people, among others, in ongoing negotiations on the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Pictured here are Navajo Nation Council delegate Rex Lee Jim, Six Nations Chiefs Stuart Patterson, Karl Hill and Darwin Hill, and Innu attorney Armand MacKenzie. Photos courtesy of OAS/OEA, Juan Manuel Herrera.

A year ago, the international community at last officially recognized that indigenous peoples have a permanent right to exist as peoples, nations, cultures and societies when the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on Sept.13, 2007. (More…)

HELENA, Montana - Native women face the highest rates of sexual violence and physical assault of any group in the United States. According to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, one out of three Native women will be raped in her lifetime, and three out of four will be physically assaulted. (More…)



Jacqueline Agtuca, Karen Artichoker and Terri Henry are leading a national coalition to reduce violence against Native women. The Center is working with the coalition on legal remedies to strengthen the ability of Indian nations to effectively police their lands and prosecute offenders. Photo courtesy of Clan Star, Inc.

ATANQUES, Colombia - "Historical Extermination of Indigenous Peoples" was the focus of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal held here in the Kankuamo Nation’s territory in mid-July.

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal is an international and permanent court that functions independently from state power at the international level. Since its first session in 1979 in Brussels concerning Western Sahara, the Tribunal has held 33 sessions addressing grave human rights violations. (More…)

An indigenous leader tells the Tribunal about armed conflicts threatening his people. Photo courtesy of ONIC

CUCUTA, Colombia -  Bari leaders met with Shayda Naficy from our Washington, D.C. office for a human rights training, following two days of meetings with the National Authority of Indigenous Governments (ONIC), international human rights organizations and government officials regarding ongoing threats to the Bari and their way of life.   (More…)

Bari leaders say since colonization began 70 years ago, their population has dropped from 16,000 to 3,129.
Photo by Shayda Naficy.

VALLE DUPAR, Colombia - At the Latin American Forum held on July 17, staff attorney Leonardo Crippa addressed concerns of indigenous peoples about the "Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America" (IIRSA) that will extensively alter their land and livelihoods. (More…)

Indigenous leader explains how mega-projects affect their lands. Photo by Leonardo Crippa

HINCKLEY, Minn. - More than 250 women attended the fourth annual Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations (WEWIN) conference hosted by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. (More…)

WEWIN Co-President Susan Masten with her mother, Lavina Bowers, at the fourth annual WEWIN conference in Hinckley, Minnesota. Photo by Valerie Taliman

Newfoundland Labrador - Premier Danny Williams was somewhat dismayed by all the publicity surrounding the eviction notices his administration sent to Innu citizens in June and how it negatively reflected on the provincial government. (More…)

Innu lands were mined for 40 years without consent or compensation. Photo by Armand MacKenzie

In April, Indigenous Notes reported that turbulent credit markets had forced Canadian mining company Skye Resources to temporarily suspend development of its Fénix nickel mine in El Estor, Guatemala (http://www.indianlaw.org/enews/april08/skye.) Unfortunately, a recent merger between Skye Resources and HudBay Minerals Inc. means plans to bring the 31-year-old mine back online are moving forward again. (More…)

Burned out: Hundreds of families were
left homeless to make way for a nickel
mine. Photo by James A. Rodriguez

As an International Studies major, I had the opportunity to visit Guatemala with an educational delegation led by Rights Action, a non-profit organization that promotes human rights in Central America. (More…)

San Marlin mine in Guatemala.
Photo from resistance-mining.org

The Indian Law Resource Center has had a number of smart, capable, and enthusiastic interns this year. (More…)

Development Director (Helena)

Sidley Fellowship

Lewis Fellowship

Montana Tribal Education Summit — The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Right to Education (Helena, Montana)

Indian Rights - Human Rights training (Pine Ridge, South Dakota)

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Valerie Taliman, Director of Communications, at vtaliman@indianlaw.org