Echo Hawk Law Office - Paul Echo Hawk

01/28/2026

In response to recent concerns raised across Indian Country, NCAI and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) will host a 60-minute “Know Your Rights” webinar followed by a 30-minute moderated Q&A using pre-screened questions.

01/21/2026

A news release from our client the Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents and Allies Win Federal Court Case Which Protects Subsistence Fishing Rights, Defends Katie John Cases On August 20, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the U...

01/07/2026

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01/05/2026

The Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and Native voters filed a lawsuit challenging Chouteau County’s unfair, at-large voting system. The suit alleges the system unlawfully dilutes the voting strength of Native voters and has denied them any representation on the county commis...

01/04/2026

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) mourns the passing of former U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheyenne).

“Ben Nighthorse Campbell stood at the intersection of our peoples’ history and future,” said NCAI President Mark Macarro. “His extraordinary life and accomplishments broke barriers and left a path for all those who seek to follow as leaders in Indian Country and in America.”

“I will miss the counsel and wisdom of my old friend,” President Macarro added.

Senator Campbell, a trailblazing statesman, helped transform federal Indian policy and elevate the voices of Tribal Nations across the United States. As the first Native American to serve in the U.S. Senate in more than six decades — and the only American Indian to chair the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs — Senator Campbell brought the concerns of Tribal Nations to the center of national decision-making.​

Senator Campbell was a tireless champion for Tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and the well-being of Native communities throughout his time as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator. He advanced key legislation for Indian Country, including the establishment of the National Museum of the American Indian, major water rights settlements for Tribal Nations, and critical investments in Indian health, education, infrastructure, and public safety. His legacy also includes broader national achievements, such as his work on national parks, public lands, and protections for law enforcement officers through the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Act.​

Beyond elected office, Senator Campbell’s life reflected a profound commitment to service and excellence. A member of the Northern Cheyenne Council of Forty‑Four Chiefs, a three-time U.S. judo champion and Olympic team captain, and a renowned jeweler, he carried his culture, discipline, and creativity into every arena. He earned global respect for building bridges between peoples and nations, as underscored by his awards, including the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom and Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun.​

NCAI extends heartfelt condolences to Senator Campbell’s family, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and all those whose lives he touched through his leadership, mentorship, and friendship. May his memory be a blessing and a charge to continue the work of strengthening Tribal Nations and upholding the inherent rights and dignity of Native peoples.

Statement available at https://www.ncai.org/news/the-national-congress-of-american-indians-ncai-mourns-the-passing-of-former-u-s-senator-ben-nighthorse-campbell-northern-cheyenne

10/02/2025

Today on the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools, we remember the children who were taken from their families, cultures, and homelands through the Indian boarding school system. We also remember those who never came home.

For more than a century, federal policy sought to assimilate Native children by removing them from their Tribal Nations. At these institutions, children were punished for speaking their languages, practicing their traditions, and expressing who they were. Many experienced physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse. Some died. Their stories were buried alongside unmarked graves.

The legacy of these schools is not only part of the past. It continues to affect Native families and communities across generations. Many still carry the weight of silence, grief, and displacement.

Honoring the children means more than remembrance. It means listening to survivors, supporting healing efforts, returning records to Tribal Nations, and protecting Native children through systems of care grounded in culture and sovereignty.

Every child matters.

07/08/2025

NCAI emphatically condemns the hateful, genocidal statement of Ann Coulter on July 6, 2025, through a post on the social platform X, declaring: “We didn’t kill enough Indians.” There is no place in society for this direct incitement of hatred and violence toward American Indian and Alaska Native people.

“These words are not provocative social commentary; they are a violent attack on Native people and Tribal Nations. Celebrating genocide against Tribal Nations crosses every moral line,” said NCAI President Mark Macarro. “Careless comments like this glorify the darkest chapters of U.S. history and actively endanger Native peoples' lives today. We will not sit silently at attempts to normalize this abhorrent behavior. We demand an immediate retraction and public apology — and we expect leaders of every political persuasion to denounce this abomination without equivocation.”

“Free speech does not confer a license to advocate for or justify mass murder — past or present,” added NCAI Executive Director Larry Wright, Jr. “When a public figure with more than two million followers romanticizes extermination, it fuels harassment, hate crimes, and political violence. Silence from elected officials and media outlets will only normalize this genocidal history. We call on them to speak up now.”

NCAI further demands that X enforce against vitriol like this and send a message that such inciting hate speech will not be tolerated by banning this individual from their platform. Instead of amplifying divisive and inhuman perspectives, let us turn our attention to celebrating the powerful, nation-building contributions of Tribal Nations to the United States.

Full statement available: https://www.ncai.org/news/ncai-condemns-ann-coulter-s-we-didn-t-kill-enough-indians-violent-and-shameful-hate-speech-targeting-tribal-nations

07/08/2025

Yesterday, pundit Ann Coulter stated on X (formerly Twitter) that “we didn’t kill enough Indians.” The post was shared more than a million times. As a writer and a lawyer, Coulter knows that words matter, especially for someone with her platform. Suggesting that Native Americans—whose communities and cultures persist and thrive despite the American government having systematically taken Native lands, children, religions, and lives—deserve to die or were not persecuted enough, is ignorant and immoral.

Although abhorrent, this language is not new. Getting rid of Native Americans has been the stated goal of a slew of U.S. policies from the Trail of Tears to the Termination Era. One hundred years ago, policy makers engaged in cultural genocide: killing the Indian to save the man. Many advocated to just kill the Indians. Genocidal language aimed at Native Americans was supposed to be something of the past. It was something that mainstream society had rejected and moved past—until Coulter’s post.

We call on all those who are decent, who have moral values, to denounce this type of hate speech. We should not treat each other in this way. The dark history of the United States’ policies towards Native people should not be repeated. Join us in standing up for the rights of Native people and preserving our existence for generations to come.

John E. Echohawk
NARF Executive Director

06/22/2025

NARF offers competitive school year and summer clerkships and internships for law school students and recent grads interested in Indian law.

03/20/2025

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The 25th Navajo Nation Council expresses profound disappointment over the White House’s recent decision to remove articles acknowledging the military contributions of the Navajo Code Talkers from U.S. military websites. This action follows Executive Orders aimed at eliminating ‘diversity, equity...