The American Indian Law Alliance (AILA) was founded in 1989 by Tonya Gonnella Frichner (Onondaga Nation, Snipe Clan). From its inception, AILA has been dedicated to advancing sovereignty, human rights, and social justice for Indigenous peoples. AILA has combined grassroots activism—such as the fight to ban fracking in New York State—with international advocacy, linking local struggles to global forums. Over the years, AILA has played a central role in key achievements at the United Nations, including contributing to the drafting and passage of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007 and helping to establish the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, now the primary international body for Indigenous voices. Gonnella Frichner along with Steven T. Newcomb (Shawnee/Lenape) wrote the UN Preliminary Report on the Doctrine of Discovery.
Tonya Gonnella Frichner’s leadership anchored AILA’s international presence. A lawyer and activist, she served as legal counsel and delegate for Indigenous Nations at the UN from the mid-1980s until her passing in 2015. She was deeply involved in negotiations around both the UN and Organization of American States declarations on Indigenous rights. Tonya also served as the North American representative to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, representing all Indigenous peoples of Great Turtle Island.