For over five decades, our mission has been to protect and advance Indian rights, foster Indian self-determination, and facilitate tribal nation-building. Protecting and advancing Indian rights since 1967. For more than fifty-one years, CILS has provided legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals who may have otherwise gone without adequate representation. CILS has successfully asserted and defended the most important rights of Indians and tribes in hundreds of major cases and has achieved significant results in such critical areas as tribal sovereignty, natural resource protection, and Indian education. Our mission is to protect and advance Indian rights, foster Indian self-determination, and facilitate tribal nation building.