Walter R. Echo-Hawk Distinguished Visiting Professor

Walter R. Echo-Hawk

Spring 2015

Walter Echo-Hawk is one of the foremost experts in Indian law and is a distinguished author, tribal judge, law professor, and member of the Pawnee Nation. His career as a Native American rights attorney, which began in 1973, spans the pivotal years when Indian tribes reclaimed their land and sovereignty.

Echo-Hawk worked at the epicenter of this social movement 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).

To inaugurate the Walter R. Echo-Hawk Distinguished Visiting Professorship, Echo-Hawk will teach two classes on the law school campus in spring 2015. The first, Indigenous Rights, is based on his book In the Courts of the Conqueror. The second, The Rise of International Indigenous Rights in the United States, is a seminar based on his book In the Light of Justice. Professor Michael Blumm will teach a Native American natural resources law course, and adjunct faculty will teach a course on federal Indian law. Lewis & Clark will continue to offer the Indian Law Summer Program and NALSA Moot Court Competition.

Echo-Hawk’s visit is made possible through the generous support of local tribes, including a lead gift from the Snoqualmie Tribe, and additional funding from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.

Fundraising efforts are currently in progress to secure an additional semester of the Walter R. Echo-Hawk Distinguished Visiting Professorship. Lewis & Clark is grateful to supporters of this important project, which enhances the law school’s ability to educate our students in the pressing legal issues of our times.