Since 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has provided legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide who might otherwise have gone without adequate representation. NARF has successfully asserted and defended the most important rights of Indians and tribes in hundreds of major cases and has achieved significant results in such critical areas as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, and Indian education. NARF is a non-profit 501c(3) organization that focuses on guaranteeing that federal and state governments live up to their legal obligations.
One of the initial responsibilities of NARF’s first Board of Directors was to develop priorities that would guide the Native American Rights Fund in its mission to preserve and enforce the legal rights of Native Americans. That Board developed five priorities that continue to lead NARF today:
