@ilrcenter
The Indian Law Resource Center is a non-profit organization established and directed by American Indians. We give legal assistance to Indian and Alaska Native nations who are working to protect their lands, resources, and human rights.
The month of November is busy for us here at the Indian Law Resource Center. Our team will be working in several countries: presenting, learning, and sharing with communities and spaces across the Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and the US. Tune in for more updates on these visits.
ILRC staff attorney, Kari Guajajara, was invited by the JUPAU Indigenous Association to visit the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous Territory. Kari engaged in discussions on the right to territory of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau (Jupaú), Amondawa, Oro Win, Cabixi, and isolated Indigenous peoples.
Our colleague, Ermeto Tuesta, is partnering with the AIDESEP Women's Program team to help launch a new training program for Indigenous women, “Indigenous Amazonian Women Protecting Forests and Traditional Knowledge for Territorial Governance" which will be led by Teresita Antazu.
Congratulations to Indigenous women leaders in Peru!
Last week, Amazonian Indigenous women leaders graduated from a course with ORPIO's Women's Program. We’re proud to stand with our partners at ORPIO in supporting this important work to empower Indigenous women leaders and Indigenous human rights.
The Montana Free Press series, "The Shelter Gap", covers the housing crisis in Indian Country. Caroline LaPorte, ILRC staff attorney was interviewed by Nora Mabie, and shared insights on the vital connection between housing, safety, and culture.
The Center's International projects focus on advancing Indigenous rights and sovereignty on a global scale through advocacy, policy engagement, and collaboration with international institutions.
The Center recognizes the legacy of residential schools in Canada is part of a global systemic pattern of cultural erasure, reflected in U.S. boarding schools and similar institutional violence worldwide. These violations of human rights continue across generations and Indigenous communities today.
For those in Montana, you can learn more here: buff.ly/Bn22RAa
Or visit the last chance powwow: buff.ly/pBFdXAh
The photo shows the bottom of a Jingle Dress, traditional regalia for Native people. Text on the photo reads "Native American Day", with the Indian Law Resource Center logo in the corner.
Today, September 26, marks Native American Day, a regionally recognized holiday that celebrates Native American heritage. The Center's home state of Montana joins California, Washington, Nevada, South Dakota, and Tennessee in celebrating Native communities.
In Central America, the Center has taken legal actions to support the Maya Q’eqchi’
Land-related conflicts are marked by murders of Indigenous leaders, violence, political unrest, and clashes over resource development. Helping Indigenous communities gain legal title to their lands is critical to addressing these conflicts. These human rights abuses must come to an end.
Keeping Indigenous lands in Indigenous ownership is critical to Indigenous peoples’ physical and cultural survival as well as to preventing land-related conflicts, meeting conservation goals, and combating climate change.
In this case, one intern covered the May 2025 Supreme Court decision in the Apache Stronghold v. United States case.
As an intern at the Indian Law Resource Center, you will get hands-on experience in reviewing real cases. This summer, interns wrote public-facing summaries as part of their archival projects.
UNDRIP established a universal framework of minimum standards for the dignity, survival, and well-being of Indigenous peoples worldwide, recognizing their collective and individual rights to self-determination, land, culture, and non-discrimination.
Over the years, Coulter and Wiggins testified, elevated Indigenous voices, and met with Tribal nations across the U.S. and beyond to garner support for UNDRIP.
Today marks the anniversary of the UNDRIP — adopted in 2007.
Indian Law Resource Center founder Tim Coulter wrote the first draft of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and, along with Center D.C. Director Armstrong Wiggins spent decades working to get it passed.
—fighting for sovereignty, justice, and the survival of their cultures. We commit to standing beside them in the ongoing struggle for rights, recognition, and respect.
#IndigenousWomensDay #BartolinaSisa #IndigenousResistance #SafeWomenStrongNations
International Day of Indigenous Women honors the legacy of Bartolina Sisa, the Aymara warrior who led a fierce resistance against Spanish colonizers in 1780.
From the Andes to Turtle Island, Indigenous women are land defenders, knowledge keepers, healers, and leaders
- Reflected on the role of female speakers in communal spaces.
- Participated in voice and camera exercises to express themselves with confidence and clarity.
Forty-one leaders in the ORPIO Women's Program have completed the I and II editions of this training and gathered this week to further their skills. Over the course of this week, participants have:
- Made communal maps with a vision for five years.
Indian Law Resource Center's Staff Attorney, Gianella, and Field Evaluation Coordinator, Ermeto, joined @ORPIOaidesep and other partners in Peru to host a training course on Territorial Governance and Vocational Management for Indigenous Women.
￮ And with Safe Women, Strong Nations, we partner with Native women’s organizations to confront the crisis of violence and build safer futures.
￮ We honor the resilience of communities like the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, who continue to resist federal injustice and assert their rights.
￮ We support Native communities working to protect rivers that sustain traditional ways of life.
￮ Through our Law Reform project, we challenge outdated federal laws that restrict Tribal economies and perpetuate poverty.
At The Center, we stand with Native nations across Turtle Island. Across the North American region, we lend our support by defending Tribal sovereignty, reforming unjust laws, protecting sacred watersheds, and ending violence against Indigenous women and children.
Scan the QR code or visit www.youtube.com/@stjnoticias to see the broadcast from the 2nd International STJ Symposium on Indigenous Peoples' Rights, held by @stjnoticias! The Center Staff Attorney, Kari Guajajaraa, joined a panel of experts to discuss Land Rights: Collective Ownership & Demarcation.
Register online if you are in Brasília, or view the broadcast version on YouTube www.youtube.com/@stjnoticias.
Highlighting the importance of inter-institutional dialogue, panels will address topics such as cultural heritage preservation strategies, land rights, the protection of Indigenous languages, and gender perspectives in Indigenous worldviews.
The event brings together Indigenous leaders, national and international judicial authorities, representatives of multilateral organizations, and prominent academics to discuss key issues related to Indigenous peoples' rights.
The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) is holding the 2nd International STJ Symposium on Indigenous Peoples' Rights today and tomorrow, and we're proud to have The Center represented by Staff Attorney Kari Guajajara.