Indigenous Rights Movements & the Law

The Tohono O’odham language is at risk of disappearing, with far fewer people speaking it today. To help keep it alive, the Tohono O’odham Nation has opened the O’odham Ňi’okĭ Ki: Language Center, which offers classes and resources for learning the language. There have also been events put on by the community to discuss how to continue the language into the future. Efforts by educators, elders and the community continue to look for solutions to keep O’odham alive.

Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to withhold publication of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on proposed copper mining operations in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest. These mining operations threaten to violate religious freedoms […]

1,163 likes, 17 comments - lakotalaw on March 6, 2025: "Hundreds of supporters in Mesa, Arizona showed their support in a community vigil for Emily Pike, a 14-year-old girl from the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona who was found in two separate trash bags on Feb. 14 near Globe, Arizona. She was identified last Friday and had ran away from a group home in Arizona. The perpetrators of the crime have not been apprehended. Shannon Bollinger, Navajo Nation, shares what brought her to show her support. #mmiw #mmip".

The statement was assembled in consultation with leaders of the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and with Native American scholars at the university.

At least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico have reported being stopped at their homes and workplaces, questioned or detained by federal law enforcement and asked to produce proof of citizenship during immigration raids since Wednesday, according to Navajo Nation officials.

Group takes steps to protect members after ‘traumatizing’ reports of people being stopped or detained by agents

Danny Lopez spent over 30 years teaching the Tohono O'odham Nation's traditional way of life to its people and surrounding community.

Gov. Katie Hobbs said Wednesday she wants $7 million to speed up the repatriation of Native American human remains and artifacts.

Nationwide, nearly 17,000 homes on tribal lands still need electricity hook-ups. A majority are spread across the Navajo Nation, where climate change is making it harder for families to keep cool. A mutual aid program, however, has helped to change lives.

Navajo Nation sued Apache county for a second time over alleged scramble to cure mail-in ballots – on top of other systemic hurdles like long lines and translation issues

The president of the Navajo Nation, one of the largest Native American tribes in the U.S., has removed responsibilities from his vice president.

Across America, it is altogether too hard for Native Americans to vote. They often must go off-reservation and travel outrageous distances to reach voting services. Many do not have home addresses or mail delivery, making registering and receiving a ballot difficult, if not impossible. Native Americans still face racial discrimination and hostilities when casting their ballots. NARF, in collaboration with Native American advocates across the country, have extensively documented these barriers and are fighting every day against this discrimination.

Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Gila River Indian Community Thursday. She addressed disparities facing Native communities.