Fighting for indigenous rights

For almost 50 years, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has provided legal assistance to tribes, organizations and individuals in critical areas of the law, such as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, Indian education and voting rights. NARF is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization, governed by a board of directors composed of accomplished Native leaders from across the country. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with offices in Washington, D.C., and Anchorage, Alaska, NARF handles more than 50 cases and projects at any given time. NARF selects its cases based on their legal breadth and their potential to set precedent and establish important principles of Indian law. NARF’s work is guided by five priorities: preserving tribal existence, protecting natural resources, promoting Native American human rights, holding governments accountable to Native Americans and developing Indian law to educate the public about Indian rights, laws and issues. These priorities have led NARF’s work in asserting and defending the rights of more than 300 tribes to date. They also shape NARF’s ongoing programs, such as the National Indian Law Library, located at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The library provides specialized legal research assistance and a publicly available collection of federal Indian and tribal law materials. As a longtime sponsor of SWAIA and Santa Fe Indian Market, NARF recognizes the activist voice within and powerful narratives of Native American art. NARF’s presence at Indian Market and the concurrent symposium panels lets the public engage with NARF about historical and contemporary legal issues facing Indian Country and the ways people can support the mission and efforts of NARF. For updates on current work and to find out more, please visit NARF’s website, narf.org, or follow @NativeAmericanRightsFund on Facebook and @NDNRights on Twitter.