[1] John E. Echohawk was born on August 12, 1945, into a Pawnee family and is an enrolled citizen of the tribe.
[4] After law school, Echohawk joined the staff of California Indian Legal Services[2] then joined other lawyers and tribal members to form the Native American Rights Fund in 1970,[4] which was similar in goals to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (both were based on civil rights activism of minority groups).
[5] Echohawk centered the Native American Rights Fund's focus around preserving tribes, protecting tribal resources, protecting human rights, ensuring government responsibility, expanding Indian law and educating people about Indian issues.
Through the group, Echohawk has had a range of civil rights successes, from government recognition of the reach of tribal sovereignty to passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act; the Native American Rights Fund embodies the mission to: preserve tribal existence, protect tribal natural resources, promote human rights, ensure accountability of governments, and, develop Native North American law and educate the public about Native American rights, laws, and issues.
[2] In August 2023, Echohawk was honored with the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award.