Walter R. Echo-Hawk Jr. offices in the Tulsa office and serves "Of-Counsel" in the Firm’s Indian Law and Gaming Practice Group. A lawyer, tribal judge, scholar and activist, his legal experience includes cases involving Native American religious freedom, prisoner rights, water rights, treaty rights, and reburial/repatriation rights.
Mr. Echo-Hawk has worked as a lawyer for the Native American Rights Fund for more than 35 years. He was instrumental in securing passage of two federal laws that respect Indian and religious freedoms and also the repatriation of Native American remains to Indian tribes.
Walter is a member of the Pawnee Nation, belonging to the Kitkahaki Band, born on the Pawnee reservation in Oklahoma. He received a political science degree from Oklahoma State University (1970) and his law degree from the University of New Mexico (1973).
View Printable Bio (PDF)
Professional Experience
- Pawnee Nation Supreme Court, Associate Justice
- Native American Rights Fund, Senior Staff Attorney
- Pawnee Nation, General Counsel
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Native American Bar Association, Member
Honors & Awards
- Spirit of Excellence Award, ABA, Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession, 1995
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Award, Metropolitan College of Denver, 1998
- Co-Grand Marshal, Martin L. King March, Martin L. King Center, Atlanta, GA, 1993
- Civic Liberties Award, ACLU of Oregon, 1992
Published Works
- Battlefields and Burial Grounds, Minneapolis: Lerner Pub., 1994
- The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: Background and Legislative History, 23 Arizona St. L.J. 35, 1992
- "Law, Legislation and Native Religion" in American Indian Religious Traditions, Vol. 2, J-P, Suzanne J. Crawford (ed.), Santa Barbara, CA: ARC-CLIO, 2005
Classes Taught
- Federal Indian Law, U.S. Forest Service, 2005-2009
Community Service
- Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Chair, Board of Directors
- Pawnee Nation College Trustee, Board of Trustees