Walter Echo-Hawk to Present at Law School

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

11-16-2011

Campus Unit

School of Law

Abstract

The UND Law School's Native American Law Student Association will hold a guest lecture featuring Walter Echo-Hawk on November 18, 2011, in the Baker Courtroom beginning at 12:10 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Walter Echo-Hawk is a Native American attorney, tribal judge, author, activist, and law professor. He represents Indian tribes on important legal issues, such as treaty rights, water rights, religious freedom, prisoner rights, and repatriation rights. His career spans the pivotal years when Indian tribes reclaimed their land, sovereignty, and pride in a stride toward freedom.

As a Native American rights attorney since 1973, Walter worked at the epicenter of a great social movement alongside visionary tribal leaders, visited tribes in indigenous habitats throughout North Ameri­ca, and was instrumental in the passage of landmark laws—such as, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990) and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments (1994). He litigated in many of the epic struggles and has written extensively about the rise of modern Indian nations as a Native American author with first-hand experience, most recently in his new groundbreak­ing book, In the Courts of the Conqueror: The 10 Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided (2010) .

Walter speaks extensively and appears in film and radio to educate the American public about tribal life, culture, and indigenous jus­tice. He is currently on a national book tour for his new book, and appeared in "The Development of NAGPRA," a new film about the Native American repatriation movement produced by the National Park Service in 2010, and several national radio programs. Always thought-provoking, inspirational, and sometimes provocative, he ex­plains complex issues in a professional, but easily-understood style.

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