The Center for World Indigenous Studies (CWIS) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 1979 by Rudolph C. Ryser, PhD (Oneida/Cree) and Chief George Manuel (Secwepemc).
CWIS has drafted 27 laws and regulations, archived more than 100,000 indigenous documents, educated more than 3500 students and provided pro-bono medical care to more than 7000 individuals via the Center for Traditional Medicine.
CWIS analysts have drafted policies focused on improving the effectiveness of Indigenous-nations governance and institutional responses to changing economic, political and cultural environments.
[citation needed] In 1997, CWIS opened a 4-acre education retreat location in Mexico for seminar and certificate programs in Fourth World Studies and Traditional Healing Arts and Sciences leading to BA, MA and PhD.
A year later, certificate and Masters Degree programs in Traditional Healing Arts and Sciences and Fourth World Studies expanded both online and onsite courses.
[11] In 2018, CWIS conducted an extensive inquiry into international mechanisms to prosecute acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Indigenous nations from 1945 onward.
The study was reported in a CWIS article,[12] noting that from 1945 to 2017 an estimated 12.482 million Indigenous people were killed in 156 different incidents, concluding that a new International Mechanism on Genocide must be established.
In 2019, CWIS established relationship with First Nations Experience television network that serves PBS stations in 12 US states to develop and deliver programs on Traditional Medicine and Fourth World Geopolitics.