Center for Indigenous Rights.

Protecting Land. Preserving Culture. Promoting Justice.

“It is better to die on our feet than live on our knees for fear of colonial rule—

Dedan Kimathi, Knight Commander of the African Empire”

…

Who We Are

The Center for Indigenous Rights (CIR) is a grassroots, movement-driven organization dedicated to the protection, education, and advancement of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We exist to support communities in reclaiming their dignity, culture, ancestral lands, and sacred traditions in the face of systemic erasure and legal neglect.

We believe that every Indigenous person has the right to live freely, to practice their beliefs without fear, and to have their identity, language, and spirituality respected and protected by law.

Our Mission

To empower Indigenous communities to know, defend, and exercise their human and constitutional rights — including land rights, cultural rights, spiritual freedoms, and the right to self-determination — in alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

What We Do

🔹 Legal Education & Advocacy
We educate Indigenous communities about their rights under both national law and international frameworks like UNDRIP. We work with legal experts to challenge laws that criminalize Indigenous spiritual practices, dispossess communities of their lands, or deny them their identity.

🔹 Cultural Protection & Reclamation
We defend the right of Indigenous peoples to maintain and revitalize their cultural traditions, languages, and sacred practices — including the use of traditional medicines and religious sacraments such as cannabis, where culturally rooted.

🔹 Land & Environmental Justice
We stand alongside communities resisting land grabs, forced evictions, extractive industries, and ecological destruction. We advocate for the restitution of ancestral lands and sustainable stewardship of Indigenous territories.

🔹 Constitution & Policy Reform
Where national constitutions fail to recognize Indigenous sovereignty or contradict UNDRIP, we push for legal reform — ensuring that Indigenous voices shape the laws that govern their lives.

🔹 Coalition Building
We convene elders, activists, legal professionals, youth, and faith leaders to form powerful alliances across Indigenous nations and allied movements.

Why This Work Matters

For too long, Indigenous peoples have been silenced, criminalized, and pushed to the margins. In many countries, the constitution does not reflect Indigenous realities, nor does it uphold the international standards set by UNDRIP, which affirms:

  • The right to land, language, and self-governance (Articles 25–27)

  • The right to practice spiritual and religious traditions freely (Articles 11–12)

  • The right to health, cultural preservation, and economic development (Articles 23–24)

  • The right to be consulted and to give free, prior, and informed consent on decisions affecting them (Article 19)

Our work ensures these rights are not just aspirational — but actionable

Join the Movement

Are you an Indigenous elder, youth, healer, farmer, lawyer, or advocate?
Do you believe in the sacred right of Indigenous peoples to live with dignity and freedom?

👉 Get involved.
👉 Partner with us.
👉 Stand with Indigenous sovereignty.

Because when Indigenous people rise, the Earth heals — and justice becomes possible for all.