Celebrating 100 Years of Service

​​The Association on American Indian Affairs is the oldest non-profit serving Indian Country protecting sovereignty, preserving culture, educating youth and building capacity.

The Association was formed in 1922 to change the destructive path of federal policy from assimilation, termination and allotment, to sovereignty, ​self-determination and self-sufficiency. Throughout our 100-year history, we have provided national advocacy on watershed issues that support sovereignty and culture, while working at a grassroots level with Tribes to support the implementation of programs that affect real lives on the ground.
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Currently, the Association is engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process to prepare the organization for its next 100 years. By building internal capacity and efficient infrastructure around our cultural values, the Association will achieve its vision to ensure “A world where Native American cultures and values are lived, protected and respected.”

SUPPORT CULTURAL SOVEREIGNTY

But one thing is very clear. We cannot continue into the next 100 years without you. We need your commitment, we need your time, we need your  advocacy, and most important, we need your financial support to continue the great path that the Association has laid down over the last 100 years. Now is the time to commit to the next 100 years of American Indian sovereignty, culture, education and capacity building.

The Association offers opportunities for your commitment at every level.  Your support will fund programs that protect sovereignty, preserve culture, educate youth and build capacity. Commit to our 100 Months in 100 Years Campaign! Or, become a Special Cultural Sovereignty Advocate by joining the Association's Legacy Council. Together we can affect the change necessary to strengthen Indian Country for the next 100 years.

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VISION

Our vision is to create a world where diverse Native American cultures and values are lived, protected and respected.

MISSION

​Our mission is to lead the grassroots fight to protect Native American Cultural Sovereignty.

GOALS

Our goals are to protect sovereignty, preserve culture, educate youth and build capacity. ​

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Help us hold institutions like Harvard accountable to their repatriation obligations.

On February 18, 2021 the Association sent a letter to Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow calling on Harvard to comply with NAGPRA and require the free, prior and informed consent of Native Nations before research can be performed on those collections.

Click here to read out letter, see the latest news, and learn how you can support accountability at Harvard.

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Secretary Deb Haaland's message of support for the Association's Conference and Native American Cultural Heritage from 2019.

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Shannon A. Estenoz, and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Bryan Newland sharing the Department of Interior's ​support to protect
​Native American Cultural Heritage.

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READ MORE HERE

​Learn about the Association's partnership with 17 Tribes and organizations advising buyers and collectors to invest in contemporary American Indian artists - not Indigenous burial belongings, and sacred cultural patrimony.

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