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In The News
Canada: Haida gwaii to require visitors pledge
august
Locals of Haidi Gwaii, an archipelago located in British Columbia, Canada, presented the Haida Gwaii Pledge, a new tourism management tool that asks visitors to make a promise to treat Haida Gwaii with respect and care.
aotearoa/new Zealand: Ma –ori petition to Change new Zealand’s name
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The Ma –ori Party has launched a petition to change New Zealand’s official name to Aotearoa, the Te Reo Ma –ori language name for the country, and for the government to restore all original Te Reo Ma –ori place names across the nation by 2026.
u.s.: passamaquoddy tribe reacquires Land
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The Passamaquoddy Tribe will soon regain control of the site of an ancient fishing village located at a remote lake in Meddybemps, Maine. The site was formerly used as a dumping ground for toxic military waste.
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On September 30, 2021, Canada held its first-ever observation of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to commemorate the missing and murdered children from residential schools and honor the healing journey of residential school survivors.
u.s.: white sands discovery Confirms early Human activity
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Evidence of a set of preserved footprints in White Sands National Park in New Mexico, dating back 23,000 years, confirms human activity on the North American continent a full 10,000 years prior to the date previously acknowledged in the field of archaeology.
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President Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day for October 11, 2021, refocusing the federal holiday of Columbus Day toward recognition of Native Peoples.
u.s.: president biden restores three national Monuments
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President Biden announced that he will restore environmental protections to the Bears Ears and Grand StaircaseEscalante national monuments in Utah, and a third marine monument off the New England coast.
ecuador: Indigenous peoples sue to Halt oil development
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Indigenous communities from Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest have filed a lawsuit against the government to halt its plans for a massive expansion of oil and mining extraction in the region that endangers millions of acres of pristine and sacred land and the livelihood of Indigenous Nations.
norway: Court rules wind Farms Harmful to sámi
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Two wind farms in western Norway are harming Sámi reindeer herders by encroaching on their pastures, the country’s Supreme Court has ruled. The Court also found that Traditional Sámi reindeer herding is a form of protected cultural practice.
u.s.: wisconsin governor apologizes for boarding schools
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Tony Evers, governor of the State of Wisconsin, issued a formal apology for the state’s role in boarding schools for Native children at an Indigenous Peoples’ Day event. Evers also signed
memorial for indigenous children who died in the residential school system in Canada, art gallery, vancouver, b.C. photo by nati Garcia.
an executive order formally supporting the U.S. Department of Interior investigation into the schools, to be done in consultation with the state’s Tribes.
norway: sámi request return of sacred drum
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The Sámi are asking for the return of a sacred drum expropriated by Denmark in 1691. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by Denmark and Norway, affirms their right to the historic artifact.
australia: Land returned to eastern kuku Yalanji peoples
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The Daintree Rainforest, a UNESCO World Heritage site located on the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, has been returned to Indigenous landowners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Peoples.
aotearoa/new Zealand: First Indigenous woman governor-general sworn In
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Dame Cindy Kiro, the first Ma –ori woman to be named New Zealand Governor-general, was formally sworn in to the largely ceremonial role in parliament on October 21.
Advocacy Updates
u.s.: boston CeLebrates IndIgenous peopLes’ daY
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After years of local advocacy by Indigenous organizations, acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey signed an executive order declaring the second Monday of October to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and “to affirm the City’s commitment to reconciliation and support for the rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
u.s.: boston MaratHon starts wItH IndIgenous aCknowLedgMent
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At the 125th Boston Marathon on October 11, the chairman of the Boston Athletic Association read a statement acknowledging that the marathon’s 26.2 miles carve a route through the homelands of Indigenous Peoples. “The B.A.A. is better understanding the trauma experienced over centuries by the Indigenous people who lived on these lands, and we will work with the federal and state recognized Tribes on this land acknowledgment.” The formal statement was a victory for activists who had rallied around the threat of the city’s largest event, which is usually held in April but rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, overtaking Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrations. The B.A.A apologized for the conflict and, in addition to the acknowledgement regarding the route of the race, also donated $20,000 for a celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Newton. Two Indigenous runners, Patti Dillon (Mi’kmaq) and Ellison Brown (Narragansett), were featured on banners along the route.
u.s.: Harvard Moves to dIvest Its endowMent FroM FossIL FueLs
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Following years of public pressure, Harvard University President, Lawrence S. Bacow, announced that the University would allow its remaining investments in the fossil fuel industry to expire, paving the way for it to eventually divest from the sector. The move marks a major development in a decade-long protest that has pitted student activists against university administrators and dominated campus politics for years. Bacow, who has publicly opposed divestment, stopped short of using the word “divest,” but said that “legacy investments” through third-party firms “are in runoff mode,” and called financial exposure to the fossil fuel industry
Cultural Survival’s advocacy program launches international campaigns in support of grassroots indigenous movements as they put pressure on governments and corporations to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of their communities.
“imprudent.” Fossil fuels make up less than two percent of the University’s endowment, but still represent close to $1 billion.
russIa: putIn sILenCes IndIgenous aCtIvIsts
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Indigenous organizations in Russia, allied organizations, and Cultural Survival have released an Open Letter to the Putin Administration sounding an alarm about the growing intimidations and reprisals against Indigenous activists and rights defenders in Russia. These attacks are exemplified by the recent illegal detention of activist Andrei Danilov (Sámi) in the Murmansk region. Danilov, Director of the Sámi Heritage and Development Foundation, was detained on August 29, 2021, after he refused to present his belongings for inspection without witnesses. Danilov was detained for five days and charged with “failure to comply with the lawful order of a police officer.” His arrest is just one of the latest incidents in a series of acts of harassment against Indigenous activists and rights defenders in Russia in recent years. The Open Letter demands an end to intimidation and harassment of Indigenous activists and Indigenous rights defenders in the Russian Federation, and was signed by 116 organizations across the globe in solidarity.
unIted natIons: Cop 26 resuLts In MIxed outCoMes
noveMber
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP 26) took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12. Indigenous Peoples represented the second-largest civil society delegation in attendance, second only to oil and gas lobbyists. The adopted Glasgow Climate Pact was the first climate deal to reduce coal, a leading contributor to climate change, and aims to set global warming limits to 1.5 degrees Celsius. While the lobbying efforts of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus resulted in getting language for the recognition of human rights and Indigenous rights in several provisions of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the language is very vague. Unfortunately, other proposals made by the Indigenous Peoples Caucus were not included.
