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Statement on the Passing of Darwin Hill and Rex Lee Jim
February 26, 2026
The Indian Law Resource Center is deeply saddened by the passing this week of Darwin Hill, a chief of the Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians, and the passing of former Navajo Nation Vice President, Rex Lee Jim.
Hill lived and worked on the Tonawanda territory. He led efforts to advance land claims and defend the rights of his nation and the Haudenosaunee or Six Nations Confederacy. He was essential in securing an agreement with the federal government to recognize the right of Six Nations citizens to cross the US-Canada border without undue difficulty. Darwin served on the Indian Law Resource Center Board of Directors from 2010 to 2021.
Rex Lee Jim served as Navajo Nation Vice President from 2011 to 2015. He was a lifelong advocate for the Diné and Indigenous peoples everywhere, dedicating his career to education, cultural preservation, and community leadership. Born and raised in Rock Point, Arizona, he brought a respect and reverence for the Diné language and culture to every role he held, as an educator, writer, medicine man, and public servant. His contributions to curriculum development, advocacy for tribal and Indigenous sovereignty, and support for Indigenous diplomacy are widely held in deep regard.
Hill and Jim were both prominent Indian leaders who helped secure opportunities for Indigenous peoples to take their place at the international level--at the United Nations and the Organization of American States--and to participate alongside member states in shaping international human rights standards. Armstrong Wiggins, Director of the Center’s Washington, D.C. office, said, “Darwin and Rex were an inspiration to me to carry on the Indian Law Resource Center’s standard-setting work for 45 years”.
Darwin and Rex were instrumental in building much-needed consensus amongst not only Indigenous representatives from the Western Hemisphere but also representatives of member states. Their efforts, along with those of other prominent leaders, were crucial to the successful adoption of both the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2016).
Chris Foley, Indian Law Resource Center Executive Director, said, “I was so fortunate to meet both Darwin and Rex at the very beginning of my career and to have had the chance to work with them both at the UN, at the OAS, and here at the Center. They were highly skilled diplomats, incredible advocates, and wonderful friends and mentors to generations of Indian rights activists and Center staff.”
Robert (Tim) Coulter, former Executive Director of the Center, said, “Darwin was a very great and loyal friend and colleague for decades. He was a leader of great integrity, intelligence, judgment, and humanity. His character and his tireless work were spread widely across the world, but his heart and his mind were always with his family and Nation at Tonawanda.”
We extend heartfelt condolences to the families, communities, and everyone touched by the leadership and advocacy of Darwin and Rex. Their legacy and dedication will continue to inspire and guide us at the Indian Law Resource Center, and we will carry on their tremendous work to strengthen Indigenous human rights and uphold Indigenous peoples’ right of self-determination.
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