38-4 Indigenous Rights Protect Us All

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Indigenous Rights Protect Us All

Vol. 38, Issue 4 • december 2014 US $4.99/CAN $6.99

D E C e m b er 2 01 4 V olum e 38 , Issue 4 Board of Directors President & board Chair

Sarah Fuller

Vice Chairman

Duane Champagne (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa)

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Lesley Kabotie (Crow) Evelyn Arce (Chibcha) Alison Bernstein Laura Graham Steve Heim Jean Jackson Edward John (Tl’azt’en) Pia Maybury-Lewis Stephen Marks Stella Tamang (Tamang) Che Philip Wilson (Nga-ti Rangi) FOUNDERS David & Pia Maybury-Lewis Cultural Survival Headquarters 2067 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02140 t 617.441.5400 f 617.441.5417 www.cs.org Boulder Office 2769 Iris Ave., Suite 101 Boulder, CO 80304 Guatemala Office Calle Candelaria #5ª, Antigua, Guatemala Cultural Survival Quarterly

Copy Editor: Jenn Goodman Designer: NonprofitDesign.com Contributing Arts Editor: Phoebe Farris Managing Editor: Agnes Portalewska Copyright 2014 by Cultural Survival, Inc. Cultural Survival Quarterly (ISSN 0740-3291) is published quarterly by Cultural Survival, Inc. at PO Box 381569, Cambridge, MA 02238. Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA 02205 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Cultural Survival, PO Box 381569, Cambridge, MA 02238. Printed on recycled paper in the U.S.A. Please note that the views in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Cultural Survival.

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On the cover Indigenous marchers lead the historic People’s Climate Change March in New York City. Photo by Jenna Pope.

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Accompanied by drum beats, wearing costumes, and carrying signs, thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Manhattan on September 21 to urge policy makers to take action on climate change. Photo by Danielle DeLuca.

F e at u r e s

4 Ma-lama Honua: World Wide Voyage Leg 2

Kaimana Barcarse (CS STAFF)

The third installment in a series documenting the –le‘a historic undertaking of the voyage of Ho–ku around the world over the next three years.

12 Voices at the People’s Climate March

Close to 400,000 people turned out for the People’s Climate March, the largest environmental protest in US history. Cultural Survival captured the voices of participants demanding climate justice and fulfilment of Indigenous rights.

16 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Pushes States to Take Concrete Action

Excerpts of interviews with Indigenous delegates from the two-day high level meeting of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York.

24 Philanthropy as Reciprocity

Ingrid Sub Cuc and Mark Camp Reciprocity was the buzzword characterizing the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples World Summit on Indigenous Philanthropy, held September 24–26 in New York.

D e pa r t m e n t s 1 Executive Director’s Message 2 In the News 6 Women the World Must Hear Indigenous Women Lead Effort Against Fracking 8 Rights in Action The Case of Sukenya Farm, Tanzania 10 Board Spotlight Stella Tamang 26 Our Supporters 27 Bazaar Artist Moussa Albaka 28 Get Involved

How to Maximize the Effectiveness of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

E xecut iv e Di rector’ S messa ge

Standing Up for the Sacred

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eptember was an important and exciting month for the global Indigenous rights movement. This issue of the Cultural Survival Quarterly captures some of many captivating voices present at the historic People’s Climate March, the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, and the World Summit of Indigenous Philanthropy.

In solidarity, Indigenous people are making waves.

Kaimana Barcarse chronicles the Hōkūle‘a’s voyage across islands of the Pacific where Oceanic people share the ancestry and values of caring for the Earth. We also hear from four amazing women about their efforts against fracking: “Women are the creators of life,” says Julia Walsh, founder of Frack Action. “We cannot have life on Earth without clean water. In order to restore balance on the planet, the women must be honored and respected.” Our impressive Board member Stella Tamang speaks to the need of unity in the world today more than ever, reminding us that “We should be living together with full dignity. This is the world that I want to see: where different colors, different languages, different looks live together without being discriminated.” And we see how Maasai communities in Tanzania are uniting to fight the all-too-common occurrence of land grabbing.

As I left New York City, I was encouraged by the words and actions of many Indigenous people and leaders at these events, and at the same, cognizant of the many unheard voices and the deeply complex issues that continue to be pervasive for Indigenous Peoples and their rights. Four hundred thousand marchers filled the streets of Manhattan on September 21 to demand climate justice.

Indigenous people led the march as the ones impacted first, and perhaps most, by climate change. Our presence sent the message that the cultures and survival of Indigenous Peoples is immediately threatened by the forces of globalization and greed.

There are so many ways to

The UN High Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples adopted an Outcome Document in which world leaders expressed their commitment to Indigenous Peoples. This High Level Plenary Meeting was extremely controversial among Indigenous Peoples in its process, intent, and outcomes, and the controversy and dissention will remain an important discussion for Indigenous Peoples that we cannot ignore. As Les Malzer, Indigenous advisor to the president of the UN General Assembly, said, “Key doors are now open, but Indigenous Peoples have to walk through them.“We, Indigenous Peoples, need to take action, we cannot wait for or depend on governments and the UN. Windel Bolinget, Igorot WCIP delegate from the Philippines, notes that “Indigenous Peoples should not just expect that our problems will be resolved within the UN system . . . behind these are powerful corporations, ruling elite, and rich people, who are the ones violating our inherent right to self-determination, our land and territories and even our resources, and our Free, Prior and Informed Consent.”

Finally, the World Summit on Indigenous Philanthropy brought together international funders and Indigenous people to strengthen and increase philanthropic funding to the Indigenous world. Roberta Jamieson, CEO of Indspire, reminds us that for Indigenous people, reciprocity translates as a holistic concept “deeply embedded In Indigenous cultures” and “much more than a two-way exchange of favors.”

For Indigenous Peoples, these efforts are about standing up for the sacred: sacred waters, sacred air, sacred lands, and sacred life for future generations.

Suzanne Benally, Executive Director (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa)

Donors like you make our work around the world possible. Thanks so much for being part of Cultural Survival.

Staff Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa), Executive Director Mark Camp, Deputy Executive Director Kaimana Barcarse (Native Hawaiian), FPIC Radio Series Producer Jessie Cherofsky, Program Associate, Indigenous Rights Radio Danielle DeLuca, Program Manager, Advocacy Program and Indigenous Rights Radio David Michael Favreau, Bazaar Program Manager Sofia Flynn, Accounting & Office Manager Maria del Rosario “Rosy” Sul González (Kaqchikel), Indigenous Rights Radio Producer Jamie Malcolm-Brown, Communications & Information Technology Manager Cesar Gomez Moscut (Pocomam), Content Production & Training Coordinator, Community Media Program Agnes Portalewska, Communications Manager Angelica Rao, Executive Coordinator Ingrid Sub Cuc (Kaqchikel/Q’eqchi), Program Assistant Alberto “Tino” Recinos (Mam), Citizen Participation Coordinator, Community Media Program Miranda Vitello, Development Associate Ancelmo Xunic (Kaqchikel), Community Media Program Manager

INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS Don Butler, Alex Glomset, Stephanie Guthridge, Madeline McGill, Carley Minkler, Johnny Motley, Julie O’Neill, Shaina Semiatin, Alison Schloss, Penelope Turner, Rachel Ward, Kristen Williams

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S ta y c o n n e c t e d Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 1

i n t he new s Guatemala: Monsanto Legislation Repealed in Favor of Indigenous Community September

Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala celebrated a rare victory against biotech superpower Monsanto when the Guatemalan congress repealed legislation that would have allowed the company to plant genetically modified seeds in Guatemalan territory, preventing Indigenous people from using natural seeds to grow their own crops for their own consumption.

Canada: Atikamekw Declare Sovereignty, Request “Nation-toNation” Negotiation September

Atikamekw First Nation Leaders have requested a discussion over the sovereignty their ancestral territory of Nitaskinan, which spans over 80,000 square kilometers. The government of Quebec has proposed that the territory be “co-managed,” an idea that Atikamekw leaders have rejected.

United States: Havasupai Tribe Rejoices After Grand Canyon Uranium Mining Ban Upheld September

The Havasupai Tribe of Arizona is celebrating following the upholding of the ban on uranium mining in the Grand Canyon, a decision that will have a direct impact on the conservation of water, wildlife, and sacred lands. Though the mining companies have the right to appeal, the decision is unlikely to be overturned due to the necessity of water conservation for the 25 million people in neighboring states who depend on clean water from the Colorado River.

Colombia: Court Orders Mining Companies to Return Land September

A Colombian legal tribunal ordered 11 companies to halt gold mining operations in a 50,000-hectare (78 square miles) 2 • www. cs. org

Sarayaku community members celebrate a favorable Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling in 2012. Photo courtesy of Fundación Pachamama/Joke Baert.

reserve in the northwest of the country.

The ruling restores the territory in Choco department to the Embera Katio tribe, which inhabited the area before being displaced by mining activities and violent, illegal armed groups. The government is also required to reinstate the Embera Katio’s land rights and aid the tribe in their return to the area, including making improvements in security.

Ecuador Apologizes to Indigenous Community for Violation of Land Rights October

Minister of Justice Ledy Zuniga issued a formal apology to the Sarayaku people of Ecuador for licensing a 400,000 acre (625 square miles) oil concession on Sarayaku land without their consent.

The Inter-American Court for Human Rights deemed the concession a violation of Indigenous rights in 2012.

Though the apology does not retract the violation nor the damage done to the land, it sets a higher standard for respecting Indigenous lands in matters of resource extraction.

Canada: Goldcorp Ordered to Halt Development of Mines in Chile October

The Chilean Supreme Court has halted the development of Goldcorp’s El Morro mine project after an appeal from the Diaguita people, who were concerned about river pollution. An

earlier attempt to halt the development of the mine was rejected, but further evidence led to an investigation of the project’s environmental risk. Goldcorp has been ordered to stop production twice in the last two years because of environmental concerns.

US: Columbus Day Replaced by Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Seattle Schools October

The Seattle School Board voted on October 1 to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the city’s public school system. Various communities in California and the midwest have similarly replaced Columbus Day, a federal holiday that is offensive to Indigenous Peoples.

United Nations Names Senior Official to Coor-dinate World Action on Indigenous Peoples October

On October 23, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon designated Wu Hongbo, UN undersecretary general for economic and social affairs, as the senior UN official to coordinate world action to improve the well being of Indigenous Peoples, a followup action for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

Campaign Updates Belize: Our Life, Our Lands— Respect Maya Land Rights Maya Leaders Alliance Meets with the Prime Minister of Belize On September 25 a delegation of Maya leaders, headed by President of the Toledo Alcaldes Association, Alfonso Cal, met with Belize Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, to present a letter asserting their collective rights as a Maya people to their traditional lands and resources. The letter also notified the government that the Alcaldes are developing a proposal for a framework for consent agreements by oil development and other extractive industries for activities on Maya traditional lands.

The framework will specify various aspects that must be included in any consent agreement with Maya villages for oil-related development activities, such as impact assessment, mitigation and monitoring, compensation for land use and disturbances, and benefit- sharing. Maya leaders say the proactive initiative manifests their good faith engagement with the government of Belize and extractive companies on Maya traditional lands, and forms part of a vision to revitalize Maya commu- nities and guarantee their well being and prosperity.

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Cultural Survival’s advocacy program launches international campaigns in support of grassroots Indigenous movements as they put pressure on the powers that be to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of their communities.

Russia/China: Pipeline Threatens Sacred Highlands Putin Announces Renewed Intent to Construct Pipeline Threats have been renewed against the Ukok Plateau and the Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage site. Valdimir Putin announced in early September that Russia and China would revive a gas pipeline that will ravage these sacred lands, used for at least 8,000 years by the Telengit for burials and sacred ceremonies, and put at risk several rare and endangered species.

Greenpeace reports that eight of Russia’s ten World Heritage Sites have been “threatened by development projects ranging from resort facilities to mines and military bases.”

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Kenya: Demand the World Bank Compensate the Maasai African Governors of World Bank Call for Revised Standards that Account for Indigenous Peoples On September 4, the African Governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund met in Khartoum, Sudan where they issued the Khartoum II Declaration, a statement noting that the proposed environmental and social safeguards framework of the World Bank “has not fully addressed the challenges of the existing Safeguards Policies, which have constrained implementation of critical projects and have provisions that go against national laws and the social fabric of our societies.”

For the last three decades, the Maasai

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people of the Rift Valley in Kenya have experienced mass evictions from their homelands to make way for projects like Hell’s Gate National Park and largescale geothermal projects, the latter of which are funded by the World Bank Group and other international financial institutions.

Canada: Save Teztan Biny (Fish Lake)—Again!

Tsilhqot’in Declare Tribal Park Surrounding Sacred Fish Lake On October 12, Tsilhqot’in people gathered at Fish Lake in British Columbia to inaugurate a totem pole at a new conservation area covering 800,000 acres (approximately 3,000 square kilometers), to be managed by the Tsilhqot’in First Nation of Canada. Dasiqox Tribal Park is also named Nexwagwez?an (“it is there for us”). The park was created in response to the threats of misuse of the area by Canadian mining company Taseko, which has attempted to establish a gold mine on the sacred spiritual and cultural site for the past decade despite repeated rejection by the Native communities. The new park is just outside the Tsilhqot’in-Nemiah Aboriginal Title area, recently recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada, and will form part of a larger network of provincially protected areas made up of five adjacent parks. Taseko Mines recently applied to bring a civil suit against the federal review panel for thrice rejecting its application for the New Prosperity Mine, suing for damages to cover the cost of the failed project designs.

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Take action at www.cs.org/ take-action. Read more news at www.cs.org/news.

Cultural Cultural Survival Survival Quarterly Quarterly

December December 2014 2013 •• 33

The Ma–lama Honua Leg 2 crew of Ho–ku– le‘a, posing upon arrival at the final destination of Pagopago.

– (Not pictured: photographer ‘Aina Paikai and the Hikianalia crew.)

Malama Honua: World Wide Voyage Leg 2 Kaimana Barcarse (CS STAFF) This article is the third installment in a series documenting the historic undertaking of the three-year voyage of Hōkūle‘a, a full-scale replica of a wa‘a kaulua (Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe) around the world.

eg two of the World Wide Voyage took us from Tautira, Tahiti all the way to Pagopago in American Samoa, a leg dubbed by the crew as “A Fantastic Voyage.” We made 16 landfalls and sailed just under 2,000 miles. With the utmost sincerity, we were regularly greeted with the words “welcome home.” We knew then that we as an Oceanic people share the ancestry and legacy of those that have gone before us, and those that have connected our islands.

There are not enough pages in this magazine to recount all of the amazing stories experienced on this voyage, but I will share with you a small taste of each island. We arrived in the evening in Tautira, the official start of our leg of the voyage.

We were immediately split up and sent off with families of the village to stay with. By the time we left we were indeed part of their family, and from that point on, we understood that we have been adopted; whenever we return to that village, those are our families we return to. We have been blessed with the greatest blessings of aloha. As we bid farewell to Tautira, we were joined by the Tahitian sailing canoe Faafaite, which would sail with us all the way to Rarotonga.

As we arrived in Moorea, we learned a valuable lesson about announcing our arrival through proper protocols to let the ancestors of the island know us through chanting the genealogy of Hōkūle’a. The sail to the island was smooth and uneventful, but as we got close to the island and attempted to

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anchor, the winds picked up and blew forcefully. We realized it was because the ancestors of the island did not know us.

From that point on, as we neared every island, we chanted our genealogy and had smooth access to each island. We drank the sweet water of a special spring and got to know the island with her mountains that resemble an octopus, whose head is on the central mountain and whose eight legs extend outward on the mountain ridges pointing to the various Pacific island cousins of Hawai‘i, Samoa, Aotearoa, and so forth.

We landed at Taputapuatea on Raiatea. Taputapuatea is considered the spiritual center of the Tahitian islands and the Pacific, and there lies a special altar honoring Hōkūle’a. As we made landfall we were instructed to pick up a small piece of coral before stepping on dry land. We carried our pieces of coral until the day we left, at which time we placed them on the altar, honoring our connection between Raiatea and Hawai‘i.

When we arrived on the island of Huahine, we made our first landing around Haapu, a special and powerful place whose residents govern by the ancient practice of Rāhui, a traditional method of stewardship on land and sea. Fishing, farming, and hunting are governed by traditional seasons and traditional gathering methods. If you are caught in any of these activities out of season or without the proper permissions, your equipment is seized. This is how the villagers police their lands and ensure that the health and sustainability of the land will be here for generations to come.

We had two landings in Tahaa. The first was on an atoll in the lagoon, and then we moved on to the main island. It was a short visit, less than 24 hours, but we got to know the people and the stories of their island. We also visited the remnants of an altar dedicated to the demigod Hiro, a demigod much like Māui of the Hawaiian legends.

All photos by Kaimana Barcarse.

(Below) Islanders and crew participate in a traditional stone fishing event, held only once every 10 years.

(Above) The crew gets pulled into a Tahitian dance with Tautira villagers on the island of Tahiti.

(Left) Original first generation (1976) voyagers John Kurse (L) and Snake Ah Hee (R) with Maupiti Island Chief and Elder, Papa Maui.

Borabora is a much desired tourist destination of French Polynesia. In order to sustain the industry yet provide for the people and cultural practices of the island, the people have developed water purification systems to turn waste water into safe industrial water for farming, gardening, and other nonpotable uses. Desalinization methods supplement their springs and aquifer for drinking water.

Our arrival on Maupiti marked the first ever landing of Hōkūle’a on that special island. The outer pass is home to a treacherous current and pounding waves, and the timing and seas have to be just right to bring a canoe in through the pass. Although a difficult passage, we chanted our genealogy, and a chief from that island, Papa Maui, boarded Hōkūle’a to escort her in safely with the guidance of their ancestors. We were greeted as family and shown our connection through their chief who visited many generations ago from the Hawaiian Islands named Rihoriho, better known as Liholiho in Hawai‘i. They also shared their stone fishing method that is such a big task, it is requires the participation of the entire island and is only done once every 10 years—simply amazing!

As we approached Mitiaro Island we encountered rough weather swells and 55 mile per hour sustained winds, similar to the ‘Alenuihāhā channel in Hawai‘i. We made our way to the lee of Atiu Island to wait for the winds to weaken and continued on. We were always safe with Hōkūle’a caring for us, riding smoothly in the weather. We arrived in Rarotonga and were cared for by the royal Napa family, the family of master navigator Tua Pittman, and the crew of the voyaging canoe * Mālama Honua translates to “care for the earth.”

Marumaruatua. We visited the altar for the Paoa family and met with special people, including the prime minister of the Cook Islands. He shared with us their initiatives of setting aside marine protected waters and greatly reducing their dependence on fossil fuels, measures to ensure the viability of their islands and resources for generations to come.

As soon as we stepped foot on Aitutaki, we were led to a special stone and instructed to step on it as we passed onto the island. This simple ritual transformed us from visitors to kupa, or familiars, to the island. We were humbled to see the strong familial ties to Hawai‘i through the Alapa‘i and Kanaka‘ole family lines, and honored that they exhibited so much pride in their shared connection to Hawai‘i.

Arriving in Ta‘u, ‘Ofu, and ‘Olosenga marked the fulfillment of a responsibility of one of our crew members, Celeste Manuia-Ha‘o, to return home via canoe and share with her people the lessons she learned about navigation and voyaging.

This was a responsibility given by her grandfather, a high chief of her village. It was a special and appropriate place to make first landfall in Samoa as these three islands make up Manu‘a, the Islands of the Chiefs.

Our last landfall on this leg of the World Wide Voyage was Pagopago, American Samoa. Once again we were greeted with the utmost sincerity and aloha. We were truly touched to be amongst these great people and treated as family. But there was an unrest within as we knew that this was our last landing as a crew that had bonded as family on this leg of this fantastic voyage. As we disembarked Hōkūle’a for the last time, three large ‘iwa birds swooped down and circled the canoe at mast height and lower, so close that we could see into their eyes, eyes that spoke to our souls, saying, “all is well.”

Islands Visited Tautira,*Maiao, Mo‘orea, Raiatea, Huahine (Haapu, Fare), Taha‘a (Mokupuni/Kaona), Borabora (Motu/ Kaona), Maupiti, Borabora, *Mitiaro, *Atiu, Rarotonga, Aitutaki, *Palmerston, Ta‘u, Ofu, *Olosenga, Pagopago. *Passed closely but didn’t land.

For more information and to follow the voyage, visit www.hokulea.com.

Read the Hawaiian version of this article here: goo.gl/MzMSML.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 5

women th e wo r ld m u st hear

CS Staffer Ingrid Sub Cuc interviews Elle-Maija Tailfeathers about the impacts of fracking in her community.

Kandi Mosset and Shelley Young remain optimistic despite the challenges facing their communities.

# F r a c k O ff Indigenous Women Lead Effort Against Fracking Madeline McGill

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ydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is posing a danger to Indigenous communities beyond its damaging environmental impact. First Nations in both Canada and the United States are being hit the hardest, where oil and gas companies with interests in the untapped resources of Indigenous lands are gaining ground. Fearing the effect that fracking will have on their lands and families, many Indigenous women have begun to stand up with their communities to tell oil corporations, tribal councils, and their respective governments that enough is enough.

The efforts of these women came to fruition during Climate Action Week in New York on September 20 when the School of Media Studies at the New School hosted #FRACK OFF: Indigenous Women Leading Media Campaigns to Defend our Climate, co-organized by FRACK ACTION. Influential Indigenous organizers Shelley A. Young (Mi’kmaq), Kandi Mosset (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara), Elle-Maija Tailfeathers (Blood and Saami), and Ellen Gabriel (Mohawk) were presenters at the event.

Though from different parts of North America, these women came together at the conference with a similar mission: to address the impact of fracking, and what Indigenous women can do about it.

“We knew it was important to organize a women’s event because 6 • www. cs. org

Artwork by Fannie Alshaa, portrait of Amanda Polshies.

women are the creators of life,” said Julia Walsh, founder and campaign director of Frack Action. “We cannot have life on Earth without clean water. In order to restore balance on the planet, the women must be honored and respected. So we are here tonight to listen and learn from these women. Women are leading our movement.”

The environmental damage of fracking is undisputed, yet many of North America’s Indigenous Peoples have been helpless to stop the tide of trucks and drills pouring into their sacred lands, polluting groundwater and dispersing harmful chemicals. Less acknowledged is the effect the fracking industry has had on the safety and wellbeing of female residents.

Indigenous communities have seen increases in missing women, sex trafficking, and rape since oil workers have begun flooding their lands seeking employment.

Gabriel voiced her concerns over the treatment of Indigenous women and the lack of response from the government.

She is in the midst of a fight over Kanehsatà:ke traditional lands in Alberta, which are in the path of Energy East and Line 9 tar sands pipelines. “Right now it’s a man’s world. In fact, it’s a rape culture,” she said. “In Canada, rape of Indigenous women has gone on with impunity.

And the government of Canada refuses to have a national plan of action; they refuse to have an inquiry because it profits them to continue to oppress Indigenous people, and the best way to do it is by the life givers themselves, the women. It ruptures the All photos by Danielle DeLuca.

family unit, and it’s another form of genocide as far as I’m concerned.”

Mossett agrees that the fracking industry has brought nothing but bad news for Indigenous communities. Long engaged in the fight for sustainability through the Indigenous Environmental Network, she has been devastated watching her North Dakota homeland become a hub for the fracking industry. North Dakota, she said, portrays the fracking industry as being beneficial for the state for the jobs that it provides. However, many of these jobs are not going to Dakota residents, as people are pouring into the state seeking work.

“There are people coming in, there are women being raped.

Kids being found running away from a [workman’s] camp, people being sold into sex slavery, slavery rings that are happening, drugs and alcohol,” she said.

Similar to the inaction in Alberta, Mossett affirmed that little is being done by the tribal council on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota to stop the injustices against Indigenous residents. “The current tribal council is turning the other cheek,” she said. “They’re getting very rich, lining their pockets. We don’t know where over $380 million went…it blows my mind how corrupt it is.”

It is the deadly combination of council corruption, Mossett argued, combined with North Dakota’s natural resources, that have contributed to its establishment as one of the capitals of the fracking industry in North America. “This is a common occurrence that we’ve started to see in what, for me, used to be God’s country. I’m very close to the land; it’s a beautiful place. The western part of North Dakota is the Bad Lands. It’s very, very beautiful, yet at the same not a lot of people live there so it’s very, very, very convenient for the industry,” she said.

All of the Indigenous leaders at the conference agreed that more efforts could be taken to address the frequent occurrence of missing women on tribal lands.

Young, an Eskasoni leader, has been on the frontlines of the fight against fracking in Elsipogtog, organizing on campuses and in communities along the coast and fundraising for fellow activists in legal jeopardy. She saw how little is being done to find missing Indigenous women after a pregnant Canadian woman studying the cases of missing women disappeared and was eventually found dead. “RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) didn’t even call the mother. They didn’t care. It was reported and they kept saying that they were so worried about her, and that it was unlike her, and they weren’t making any phone calls. It was just another dead Indian to them,” she recounted.

These instances of national and tribal governments refusing to address issues of the environment and women’s justice caused by the ever-booming fracking industry have served as the catalyst for Indigenous women to seek strength within their communities. “It’s so hard to do this work when so many people are against you,” said Mossett. “But we do. We get together in our communities and we organize. And we take back the power because nobody is going to do it for us.”

The speakers maintained that, living on the lands being sold to oil and gas companies, it was easy for many Indigenous people to accept what the government and corporations were

giving to them without question. Tailfeathers has been organizing against tar sands on the Blood Indian Tribe in Southern Alberta. She was arrested and detained as a member of a women-led action group dedicated to halting the sale of reserve land to Murphy Oil. The Chief and council of her Tribe were able to make the sale without informing the populace, she said, which they hoped to accomplish with cash rather

#Frack OFF Panelists (L-R): Ellen Gabriel, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Kandi Mosset, Shelley Young, and Julia Walsh.

than the consent of the governed. “The first thing that Chief and council did once news of this deal broke was they handed out distribution checks to every member of the tribe. These distribution checks were handed out 10 days before Christmas, for $800. I don’t know too many people who would turn down $800 10 days before Christmas, especially if you’re broke, or a single mom living on social assistance.”

In order to protect future generations from the dangers of fracking, Gabriel said, it is important that Indigenous people and activists educate themselves on the issues. “When the people decide that it’s time to take back their democracy from the corporate-controlled governments and the corporations, when the people decide that you’ve got to get up off your seats...you’ve got to get up and tell your friends, you’ve got to bring it into the schools of your children, about what’s been going on to Indigenous Peoples. Because if they had respected our lives as human beings since contact, we would not be in this terrible mess today.”

“You’re never guaranteed in this movement that you’re going to win by sticking your neck out and making your voice heard,” said Mossett of the grassroots effort behind Indigenous women’s organizing. But, she added, “you’re guaranteed to completely fail if you don’t at least try.”

Watch the whole event here: goo.gl/bZmAET Follow the movement at frackaction.com, indigenousrising.org, and idlenomore.ca.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 7

r i ght s i n a ct io n

A Too Common Occurrence The Case of Sukenya Farm, Tanzania “ We inherited this land from our ancestors.

We have an obligation to protect it for our coming generations.”

— Traditional Maasai leader

according to seasonal patterns of resource availability, which are largely dependent on rainfall and governed by rotational grazing reserve systems. In 1984 Tanzania Breweries Ltd. (TBL) obtained 10,000 acres within the boundaries of Mondorosi and Sukenya villages, a property that came to be known as Sukenya Farm. During this period, fraudulent land allocations were widespread throughout northern Tanzania and in Loliondo in particular. While TBL apparently obtained dispensation from the district and regional government to use the land, it did not obtain an official certificate of occupancy until 2004. This was for an increased area of 12,617 acres.

From the outset TBL only used about 700 acres, and in 1987 abandoned the land altogether. The three resident Maasai clans, the Purko (residents of Mondorosi), Loita (a minority clan in in Sukenya), and Laitayok (the majority of residents in Sukenya but a minority clan in the region) continued using the property as they always had: for season livestock pasture, critical watering points, temporary settlement during the rainy season, and access between subvillages.

The Conflict

A council chairman addresses community youth in Mondorosi after the shooting of Olunjai Timan.

Anonymous

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he expansive landscapes and large wildlife populations of Ngorongoro District in Northern Tanzania, which borders Serengeti National Park, make it a leading area for Tanzania’s tourism industry. But the scenic beauty and pastoral ideal belie a much more complex and conflict ridden reality. For the land and the Maasai who have traditionally inhabited it, the past hundred years have been characterized by marginalization and loss. The story of Sukenya Farm is just one such example.

The Beginning: Sukenya Farm

Soitsambu, Sukenya, and Mondorosi villages are located in Loliondo Division, Ngorongoro District, and are predominantly Maasai pastoralist communities. Land is managed 8 • www. cs. org

The 2004 certificate awarded control of the land to TBL with a 99-year lease agreement backdated to October 2003. One of the conditions of the title was that the land be used for “plant and animal husbandry.” In 2006 TBL divested the remaining 96-year lease to a new American-owned tourism operation, Tanzania Conservation Ltd (TCL). Tanzania Conservation’s owners also own Thomson Safaris, a Massachusetts-based company that operates luxury tours on the disputed property, which it has developed into a private nature reserve known as Enashiva Nature Refuge.

According to the lawsuit brought in Tanzania by the affected villages, company security guards and police officers forcefully evicted the Maasai from the land, burning their bomas (livestock enclosures), destroying homes, and denying them access to the land. Since TBL had abandoned the land in question for more than 12 years, it should have reverted back to the local villagers. A Ngorongoro Conservation Area councilor commented, “We are like slaves in our own land. Natural resources have become like a curse to us; those benefiting are from afar while the real owners are suffering.’’ Said another: “The entire process of land acquisition is characterized by bribing, cheating, and dividing communities.”

With the access to Sukenya Farm prevented by TCL/ Thomson Safaris, the communities’ herders were forced to make a 14-hour return trip to Kenya for water in the dry season. In addition, they lost access to a valuable grazing resource. Prohibiting community access to the land created a major conflict among the company, local government, and the villagers, the majority of whom consider that the land is still rightfully theirs to use.

In Tanzania Rising Tensions

The level of conflict between TCL/Thomson Safaris and local residents has markedly escalated in the last few years with numerous arrests and imprisonments, a shooting incident, and other alleged misconduct by the company’s employees and the police. Local civil society organizations and concerned individuals have attempted to help resolve the conflict, but thus far these attempts have failed, only increasing tension and mistrust.

In 2011 Soitsambu village sought to challenge TCL/ Thomson Safaris’ right to the land with the support of Minority Rights Group International, the Legal and Human Rights Centre, and the Pastoral Women’s Council. While initially dismissed on a technicality, the case recommenced in 2013 and is due to be heard in mid-December. The villagers, assisted by EarthRights International, also petitioned US courts to obtain documents of the sale to support their Tanzanian court fight to recover their land, as well as damages for violent abuses and property destruction. “The land belongs to us whether we win the case or not. We have to use the land.

We will never give up,” one community member said.

Maasai traditional leaders from across Ngorongoro district have gathered several times since 2013 in Sukenya village to discuss the conflict. One resolution was a strengthened collaboration among the three affected clans, which to date are still working together. Another was to ensure that the district council strongly support villages in the land fight. “We cannot keep quiet while our land is under the hands of land grabbers.

It is our responsibility to see that land comes back at any cost,’’ said a council chairman.

An Uneasy Truce

In July 2014, herdsman Olunjai Timan was returning home from grazing his cattle near the disputed land when he was confronted by policemen and local TCL/Thomson Safari

Cattle grazes on disputed land.

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he most recent Tanzanian litigation commenced in 2013 by Soitsambu, Mondorosi, and Sukenya villages against Tanzania Breweries Ltd., Tanzania Conservation Ltd., the District Council, and the Commissioner for Lands. The villages are challenging the transfer of Sukenya Farm by TBL to TCL/Thomson Safaris, land that had been abandoned for over 17 years and continually used during that time by villagers for grazing, watering, and cultural rituals. The plaintiffs contend that ownership of the land reverted back to the villagers by adverse possession, that TBL had no right to transfer its certificate of occupancy, and that TCL/Thomson Safaris is therefore an illegal occupant. The villagers are seeking the revocation of TCL/Thomson Safaris’ certificate of occupancy and a claim for damages for the illegal occupation.

In Massachusetts

I

n February 2014, the Soitsambu, Mondorosi, and Sukenya village chairmen, assisted by EarthRights International, petitioned a federal court in Massachusetts for documents and testimony to support their fight in Tanzanian courts to recover lost land and damages for violent abuses and property destruction. The federal court granted the villagers’ application in April, ordering TCL/Thomson Safaris and the companies’ owners, Rick Thomson and Judi Wineland, to turn over documents and give sworn testimony about the sale of Sukenya Farm, the alleged home burnings and beatings, and the conversion of the land from Maasai grazing territory to a private reserve.

security guards. He was shot and left lying face down, alone.

As news of the shooting spread through the villages 300 youth gathered in the night, prepared to enter the disputed land and burn the safari camp down. When elders heard the news they rushed to the stop them. They decided to pursue peaceful means instead of a confrontational approach, but the incident prompted the question, “What type of government is this that attacks its own citizens?”

At a council meeting after the shooting, a traditional leader implored the District Council: “I decided to stop my warriors from burning the camp because I want peace. There is no benefit for anyone to die now. We need this land for our cows and we can’t stop grazing or passing. Who are the legal owners? Those with only a piece of paper, or us who are born and living here for years?” Added a council member from Mondorosi, “We have just finished paying fines for the innocent herders who were told they trespassed in our land, and today one of us is shot again. We have to fight back and there is no way to keep quiet.” Echoing the sentiment, a youth leader averred, “We, the Maasai, are not those of 1959 when our grandfathers signed to be moved out of Serengeti. We will fight to the end. We will keep fighting for our land rights.’’

An uneasy truce has been reached between the villagers and Thomson Safari, as villagers are currently allowed to access the disputed land for grazing. They are wary that this permission may be removed at will, but hopeful that the upcoming hearing will turn that permission into a right, with ownership of the land finally returning to them.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 9

boar d s p o t lig h t

Inspiring Indigenous Women and Girls to Rise

Stella Tamang

CS Staff Our series spotlighting the work of our Board members continues with Stella Tamang, a member of the Tamang, one of Nepal’s largest Indigenous groups. She is the chair and founder of the National Indigenous Women’s Federation and co-founder of the South Asia Indigenous Women’s Network. She also chaired the Indigenous Women Caucus at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2003 and 2004, successfully pushing for the third session to focus on Indigenous women. In 2005 she was jointly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the organization 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition to her work on women’s rights, Tamang founded Bikalpa Gyan Kedra, an organization that works to eradicate child labor among the Tamang by offering alternative educational opportunities.

B

“With [our] differences, we should be living together with full dignity.

This is the world that I want to see: where different colors, different languages, different looks live together without being discriminated.

Being accepted, with full dignity.”

orn in the Gorkha district of Nepal on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Stella Tamang learned the value of education from an early age.

“We are mountain people. I am the first person from my tribe to get a formal education. When my parents went to Burma to work in a mine as laborers, they took us and we had the opportunity to go to school,” she says. Upon being admitted into the formal educational system she was not permitted to learn in her native language, Tamang, but was forced to use Nepalese, the national language of Nepal. This experience made a strong impact. Years later when she learned English, she says, “I became aware of how political decisions get made, and that our people were not involved. I also saw how governmental policies and programs were affecting us and the discrimination that was occurring. The majority of my people were being forced to learn the dominant language and culture and were not allowed to grow up with their own culture and language. Many people never realize why they are suffering, poor, or mistreated. They take it for granted that that is their way of life.”

In response to this realization, Tamang started a center for alternative learning for young Tamang girls. As the girls become teenagers, they are often sent to the capital to work to support their families back home. The jobs are unsafe and the conditions are very poor. So, Tamang got the idea to start a program whereby Tamang girls were given a safe space to learn and earn simultaneously. The 18-month alternative learning program, Bikalpa Gyan Kendra, invites girls age 13–17 to a residential school where they learn to read and write in their own language, as well as Nepalese, and develop practical skills for possible job opportunities in the future. The girls ultimately decide for themselves whether they want to stay in Kathmandu or return to their villages.

Making Indigenous Women Part of The Indigenous Movement

Over the years Tamang has become involved with Indigenous women all over Nepal, along with other Indigenous communities in Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan. She explains the origins of the Indigenous women’s movement that she helped to launch: “Indigenous women are triply discriminated [against]: you are a woman, you are an Indigenous, and you are poor. In Nepal the women’s movement was strong, but it was a very fragmented movement, it was a very exclusive movement because Indigenous women were not included. They would talk about mainstream women’s problems and issues, 10 • w ww. cs. org

[but] Indigenous women have totally different kinds of problems. We were not allowed to bring up those kinds of women’s issues in Indigenous meetings. You were not given space and you were not listened to, and I thought, we cannot go ahead like this. So I started to organize Indigenous women. I not only organized my own Tamang women, but I started to look at other Indigenous women in Nepal and what was happening.

I helped them to organize themselves and later we registered ourselves as a women’s federation. Now we are about 40 Indigenous women’s organizations who are members of a women’s federation.”

Patan Square, Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo Courtesy of Esmar Abdul Hamid/ Flickr.

Although the women’s movement was gaining traction, initially it was a fragmented women’s forum, and then I was very active at the UN orgamovement. Tamang explains, “At the regional level I organized nizing and getting women recognized. From the UN I started Indigenous women in India, Bangladesh, and then Bhutan organizing women at a global level, and this is how I became and Sri Lanka. At the South Asia level I was the convenor for the chair of the Indigenous Women’s Caucus at the UN. Havthe South Asia Indigenous Women Forum. We thought Indiging the Permanent Forum, the first year was a celebration; the enous women in Asia should come together, so we had a series second year was on one theme, [and] the third year I said it of conferences and meetings.” By joining together under the should be about women because we are talking about half the Indigenous Women’s Federation and the South Asia Indigenous population of Indigenous people. It was quite a struggle but Women’s Network, which constitutes the seven countries of finally I got it accepted. The best thing that happened was South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives, not only at the UN, but all the regions in Africa. Africa had Nepal, and Sri Lanka), Tamang created a network for Indiga regional Indigenous women’s consultation, Asia had it, the enous women to work and communicate with one another.

Pacific, Europe, Latin America...so you know it was a great Tamang’s work was initially criticized for creating a rift in acceptance. Now Indigenous women are active at the global Indigenous communities between women and men, but now level as well as at the local level.” both groups are active within the Indigenous movement at Tamang refers to the global Indigenous rights movement global and local levels. She says her plan was never to split the as an extended family. “The fun and excitement is meeting movement, but to make it stronger and create a community with Indigenous people from different parts [of the world]. of co-existence within the Indigenous community. In Nepal, They look different and speak different, but the problems she says, “Indigenous people were not recognized for about they are suffering are the same,” she says. Still, attaining global 20 years. We were treated as a very different person, inferior, recognition has been a process. “At the UN level, Indigenous not even recognized as a citizen—so our language, our people were not recognized. Now there is a lot of recognition; culture, everything was denied. About 1989, the Nepali dethe UN even has this Declaration of Indigenous people, and mocracy movement created an environment in which people, we have a forum. Now there is a process. The change, in 10-15 especially Indigenous people, had a little more freedom to years, the whole question of being recognized at the local express themselves and organize. Of course Indigenous Peolevel as well as at the global level—I think that is one of the ples’ organizations existed before, but they were underground greatest achievements.” Such achievements inspire Tamang because such organizations were illegal. In 1989 we also got to continue working for the full recognition, and acceptance, the opportunity to attend international meetings and conof Indigenous Peoples. “I want my look to be accepted, I want ferences for Indigenous people, and those meetings were my color to be accepted. With [our] differences, we should be empowering. I don’t know how much the formal agenda of living together with full dignity,” she says. “This is the world those conferences helped us, but meeting people outside the that I want to see: where different colors, different languages, meeting rooms and hearing experiences was marvelous. different looks live together without being discriminated.

“Back at home I was working at the regional level, ensurBeing accepted, with full dignity.” ing the Indigenous women’s network, ensuring the Indigenous Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 11

Voices at the People’s

Indigenous Peoples Lead Historic 400,000-Strong People’s Close to 400,000 people turned out in New York City on September 21, 2014 for the People’s Climate March, the largest environmental protest in US history. With participation far exceeding expectations, the streets of Manhattan were filled with Indigenous Peoples, environmentalists, politicians, musicians, students, farmers, celebrities, nurses, labor activists, and other concerned citizens united in their demand for urgent action on climate change. Cultural Survival also attended the historic event and captured the voices of participants demanding climate justice and fulfillment of Indigenous rights.

Indigenous people proudly lead the march demanding an end to an economy based on extraction, exploitation, and colonization of resources and people. Photo courtesy of Phoebe Farris, CSQ contributing arts editor (at center).

12 • www. cs. org

Climate March

Climate March

Mililani Trask

Native Hawaiian Indigenous rights lawyer and activist

T

he climate change march is critical, and I’m so happy that it occurs now at the very time that we are bringing Indigenous issues to the World Conference and the General Assembly.

Every sector of civil society is coming here: Indigenous, non-Indigenous—everyone is standing up, demanding that we have directional policy, action on climate change. I think it’s something that is terrorizing some of the private sector, especially those that continue to benefit from fossil fuels. It brings into the picture some who thought they might be able to sidestep it, like the liquid natural gas industry, which is now using things such as fracking, very dangerous to the environment.

For Hawai’i, we are one of the two most critically impacted regions. The two Indigenous regions impacted most acutely are the Arctic and the Pacific. In the Pacific we have countries like Tuvalu that are going underwater. And we have significant concern in many of the Pacific island archipelagos that things are changing in terms of marine life because of the climate. An Indigenous woman from California told me that for the first time in their history, the blue whale comes into Half Moon Bay; previously it was a place reserved for the great white sharks. In the Pacific the critical impact is that the low-lying islands are literally being flooded. And as the water comes in, even some of the high islands are finding that the intrusion of the ocean water is destroying the freshwater bays. So this could render many Pacific islands uninhabitable.

When it comes to environmental issues it’s always been dominated by liberals and the environmental organizations, some of which are US-based and some of which are globalized, just like the transnational corporations. Environmentalists tend to speak about the environment in an absence of human beings, and they tend to rely foolishly on Western science. We know today that the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples relating to the Earth and resource management is critical. In many instances it’s been shown that Indigenous traditional knowledge spans periods longer than written history. So when we look at answers for things like saltwater intrusion onto islands, we need to resort to that kind of traditional knowledge. I was speaking with a woman from the Cook Islands last week about what was happening with saltwater intrusion there, and she said it was fortunate for them that the taro is their base food—they had perfected in traditional times certain taro that could survive in reef and saltwater environments. They’re going to find these taro and All Photos by Danielle DeLuca.

Michael Preston (Winnemem Wintu) holding up the posters made for the march.

Native American women’s a cappella group Ulali performs at the sunrise ceremony before the march.

Photo by Phoebe Farris.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 13

plant them at the shoreline because it will be the only food that will survive. That’s just a small example of how traditional knowledge can help us address some of the problems of climate change.

We’ve seen, over the last 20 years especially, very strong bonding and cross cultural relationships forming. Much of it grows out of our work at the UN, because we all stand together to fight for human rights for Indigenous Peoples. But some of it arises because Indigenous women decided a long time ago that they would make these linkages with other Indigenous women. This is why I know Winona LaDuke, because she is a founding mother of the Indigenous Women’s Network of the United States. These things came about because Indigenous women saw that this need was going to be arising and they organized for it. We now have the ability to keep those bonds because we can organize by using technology, whereas before we were greatly hampered by the poverty in the movement and the far distances between our peoples. I think where we can do our best, Indigenous, non-Indigenous, and the environmentalists, is standing together with a strong strategy.

We’re going to have to address the transnationals and their partnerships with militarized governments. There we need to work together.

Winona LaDuke

Anishinaabe, executive director of Honor the Earth

Winona LaDuke with Nahko Bear.

W

e need climate justice.

We need people to take some action, and I came out to support the many Indigenous people and others protecting our planet. We have been fighting a big pipeline. The Enbridge Company has six pipelines, and they want to put in more. Some of those pipelines are 50 years old, and they want to upgrade them and bring in tar sands and fracked oil. We’ve been fighting a pipeline in particular known as the Sandpiper, fracked oil out of North Dakota. We believe that our water is more important than their oil, and we’ve been organizing and opposing them legally, on the ground, and in our communities. We’re mounting a pretty damn good opposition. We’ve stopped a lot of projects, and there’s a bunch of projects we’ve got to stop now. We’ve got to stop extreme behavior.

A lot of people don’t want their water filled with fracking chemicals, and they’d like to know what’s in fracking liquids: 600 chemicals, protected under the Halliburton Amendment.

That’s messed up. Everybody is on the front lines now because there are 40 states that are projected to face fracking. That’s a lot of this country that’s got fracking potential, and that’s what you don’t want. You’ve got a choice between water and oil. You’ve got to pick the right one. Time to pick water. It’s this epic moment. It’s time to stand together and work on this.

I brought my two 14-year-old sons. I was like, “You want to see where the people are? This is where they are.” We’re all in this together.

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Chief Dwayne Perry Lenape

M

y ancestors once controlled this very land we step upon. At this moment, we are basically in midtown Manhattan, next to the Mahicantuck, the river that flows both ways, and this is our ancestral land where we would come to hunt, to fish, and to gather in the spring.

Right now we are asking the world and all of North and South America to band together and stop the fracking, stop the destruction of the water, and begin the healing of the earth. Without the air, obviously, without water, we cannot survive. We have reached a critical point in this time in our world history and we need to understand that, lay away the avarice and greed, and work together to prevent further damage to our planet.

[This morning’s sunrise ceremony] was probably one of the most eclectic, powerful joinings of spiritual people from around the hemisphere that’s taken place in the last number of hundred of years, and it was all focused to lift the spirits of human beings and to begin the healing of the earth. I would like to think that my people have dreamed this, and now here it is. I’m more than pleased. I thank each and every person here, and we give thanks for their lives. I hope there becomes a reality of realpolitik, and I hope that the Aboriginal, the Native people around the world can now be looked at as who they were, stewards of the Earth, and be given the respect they need. For instance, in terms of water, not only has water become a commodity, we have relatives in South America and Africa that have been murdered for that resource by some of the very people we honor here as corporate America.

I would like to say to the Indigenous Peoples of the world that now is our time. Now is our moment and we must stand together and walk forward and take positive, peaceful action.

In addition, I would like the world to know that my people, the Ramapo Munsee, are being murdered through corporate greed and governmental avarice. Not somewhere else; 30 miles from Manhattan. Not yesterday; this moment, this time. And we need all the help we can get.

We’re the Ramapo Lenape, we’re the Munsee people. We are the keepers of the Ramapo Pass, an instrumental redoubt leading into the rear of the New England colonies, which we allowed control of by the American Rebels. We showed them where the iron deposits were. Without our ancestors allowing George Washington to use the Ramapo Pass, there would not have been the same outcome to the American Revolution.

[But] we have not yet to this moment been afforded the dignity of human beings. To this moment, this federal government has refused to acknowledge the very people that made this union possible. And today is the day they need to listen, both for the Earth and for the Ramapo Munsee people, the Lenape people.

Tom Goldtooth

Navajo/ Dakota, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN)

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s a network organization, we’ve been working on issues of Indigenous rights related to protection of our environment. We found out in the late ’80s and early ’90s that this federal government was disproportionately siting toxic waste facilities, including toxic waste dumping, on Indian land compared to white communities. Issues of disproportionate impact were emerging where the federal laws and the standards established did not take into consideration Indigenous Peoples’ diets. For example, in certain areas like Minnesota, because of the mercury levels in the fish and the reality of our people’s high consumption of this contaminated fish, we are the walking toxic burdens. The laws don’t take into consideration these high consumption levels of our Indigenous Peoples who are dependent, not only through our food system, but spiritually connected to fish populations.

That’s when we found that there’s an issue of racism in environmental protection and how it’s developed, so that’s how we organize, not only around environmental racism, but also looking at economic injustices.

There was concern from elected tribal leaders about this trend of the federal government reaching out to tribal nations with these ideas and proposals [for nuclear and toxic waste dumping] that the nuclear waste industry and the government could use their technology and say to our tribal leaders, ‘you have the spiritual knowledge and you are one with the Earth, and with our technology we can become partners and brothers.’ That was the concept in the early ’90s. And our communities stood up against this and said, ‘This is wrong.’ But some of our tribal leaders also thought that this might be a new mechanism for economic development. We found that in Indian country there’s a lot of inaction and failure in the federal agencies in helping tribes develop environmental protection infrastructures. When we organized as the Indigenous Environmental Network, we lifted up this issue of environmental inequity in the funding mechanisms available for tribes to develop their environmental protection programs. We have something that makes our issues different than other people of color around environmental racism: we have a political and a legal relationship with this US government, so they have a fiduciary responsibility to help tribes develop mechanisms to protect our environment. It’s a treaty right of hunting and gathering and planting crops. If our soil is contaminated, if our food is contaminated, then that’s a violation of that responsibility.

We found that there’s a lot of toxic chemicals released into the environment that have disproportionate impact to our women especially, like dioxin and other toxic chemicals that persist and biomagnify in the environment. In Indian country, many of the doctors are assigned to provide health care through federal governmental programs like Indian House Service; many of them weren’t equipped to really know of the epidemiology and the health impacts. They sometimes

misdiagnosed symptoms as part of diabetes, or didn’t know how serious it was when our immune system was already weakened by alcoholism and other diseases, again magnifying the impact of these chemicals in our body. As IEN, we really took that on and developed a campaign.

About that same time, this issue of these toxic chemicals became a global issue because toxic chemicals just don’t stop at the political boundaries of Canada and the United States or Russia and China. We found that these chemicals settle in colder climates that we call sinkholes. That means our Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic who have strong subsistence cultures are actually consuming high levels of these toxins in their systems, especially women. So we became very active in the international treaty initiative called POPs, persistent organic pollutants. That was one of the first times we became active in the UN mechanisms in a treaty initiative. We’ve been using that approach in other international fora, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This is a rights issue. That’s why we’re looking at the mitigation and adaptation policies that are emerging, and we’re very critical.

We have to be very critical thinkers in policies that are developed because we’ve seen the power of money and the power of the industry, especially the petroleum industry.

The stakes are pretty high here. As Indigenous Peoples we’ve been pretty consistent, whether it’s the Dakota community or Navajo Dineh people. Back home on my mom’s reservation, we’re surrounded by coal-fired power plants. We’re surrounded by the fossil fuel economy, the coal mining, the natural gas and oil. We know it’s not easy to shut down the valve. It’s a very political issue when we talk about mining, for example. Industry is really pushing the sustainable mining objective. In our analysis as IEN, there’s no such thing as sustainable mining practices. I think environmental justice is a real issue throughout the world, and we will continue to network and build a base. We’ve launched Indigenous Rising as a mechanism. Indigenous Peoples are stepping up; we’re not just going with the show. We’re looking at alternatives and strategies and tactics for how to protect our communities and protect our future generations and protect Mother Earth.

Cultural Survival staff (L-R): Rosy González, Cesar Gomez, Suzanne Benally, and Ingrid Sub Cuc.

To listen to more voices from the People’s Climate March, visit: goo.gl/CTRhQL.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 15

World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Pushes States to Take Concrete Action September 22, 2014 marked

Les Malzer (Gabi Gabi, Australia)

an important day for Indigenous

Indigenous advisor to the president of the UN General Assembly

communities everywhere. It was

I

the first day of a two-day high level meeting of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York City, doubling as the first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. Throughout the day, over 1,000 Indigenous delegates gathered with government and UN officials, national human rights institutions, and various heads of state to discuss the best methods to approach and solve issues pressing Indigenous Peoples.

The purpose of the meeting was to approve the conference’s Outcome Document, which would serve to renew and establish the international community’s commitment to addressing Indigenous rights.

The following are excerpts of interviews with Indigenous delegates at the meeting.

ndigenous Peoples started to organize very early once the General Assembly made a resolution that there would be a World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. In January 2013 we had a meeting of key leadership from around the world to decide how we would approach this world conference. At that time our big concern was that with this being a States-only process, there would be damage done to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

So we tried to be proactive to say, ‘what can we do to get positive results?’ There were two key parts: one is that we tried to get the UN General Assembly to appoint a facilitator to work with the State-based facilitator for the world conference; we wanted two persons for this. The second point was that we try to do the first draft of a resolution to be adopted by the General Assembly, which would be called the Outcome Document. My role came in because negotiations with the General Assembly to get an Indigenous facilitator were not going well. The final agreement made earlier in 2014 was that there would be a team made up of the president of the General Assembly and four advisors, two of whom would be Indigenous people and two from member states. I was nominated, along with Mirna Cunningham from Nicaragua, by Indigenous people around the world through the coordinating group to hold that position.

The president accepted our nominations and so we were appointed as advisors.

High Level Plenary Meeting vs. World Conference

When the General Assembly passed a resolution for a world conference, we started to look into how this all works. Most people would think a world conference is an open event for all people to come and for expert

Photo courtesy of Global Coordinating Group Media Team.

“Key doors are now open, but Indigenous Peoples have to walk through them.”

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presentations to be made. However, this was a meeting of the General Assembly, so it’s called a high level plenary meeting.

The words “high level” mean that it involves leaders from countries rather than the staff at the consulates. As we investigated further, we found that this was a States-only process.

When there have been previous world conferences, consulates start meeting three months beforehand and drafting the resolution, or the Outcome Document. That’s pretty much done out of sight, and then when the conference happens it’s voted on and adopted by all the member states. We wanted a different process, where Indigenous Peoples were in negotiation with the UN to develop the resolution and outcome document.

We began last year in June with a meeting in Alta, Norway of over 400 Indigenous people from around the world, and during that meeting we drafted, presented, and adopted a document, which we called the Alta Outcome Document.

Then we took it to meetings at the UN to say we wanted this to be the basis of the document adopted by the UN General Assembly. Fortunately the Alta Outcome Document was adopted as a UN Document; they registered it with an official number in the UN system, which means it is in the permanent record now. When negotiations began in late June for the final resolution at the conference, we used the Alta Document as the basis of the first draft; it is reflected very strongly in the resolution adopted by the General Assembly. It was a very successful process and a credit to the organization of Indigenous leadership.

The Consultation Process

I’m extremely proud of the consultation process: we’ve broken through a glass ceiling here by being directly involved at the General Assembly level face-to-face with member states to draft this outcome document. We can never go back now that we’ve amply demonstrated that we can effectively participate, that we’re not ignorant, we’re not militant, we’re not antagonistic and so on, that we can work well in that process. I was personally disappointed that the final version of the document was a States-only process. Mirna Cunningham and myself, as Indigenous advisors to the president, were able to participate in that process, and we made comments to ensure that mistakes were not being made that would affect our rights. I’m disappointed because in that final stage States continued to draft the text of the outcome document, and I felt that a lot of that discussion and drafting could have been done with Indigenous Peoples in the room. But we did do most of the drafting with Indigenous Peoples. I recommend that more effort be made in terms of not separating out the consultations and involvement of Indigenous peoples from the Statesonly process to ensure that it lives up to the motto, ‘Nothing about us without us.’

The Meaning of the Outcome Document for Indigenous Peoples

The outcome document is drafted. There are 40 paragraphs, and probably 35 of those are actions or operative paragraphs.

All of them that talk about the UN or member states doing something internationally involve words like ‘in consultation with Indigenous peoples,’ or ‘with involvement of Indigenous peoples.’ Every action is meant to be an action; it’s a commit-

Cultural Survival staff (L-R): Rosy González, Cesar Gomez, and Ingrid Sub Cuc.

ment by the member states but it’s an action involving Indigenous Peoples in whatever they do. There are some key statements; for example, in Paragraph 1 it says the United Nations has a continuing role to promote and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It basically affirms that these are not solely domestic issues, that they do have international exposure and [factor into] international decision-making. And that’s very good for Indigenous Peoples when negotiating with member states. Paragraph 3 talks about Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), saying that for this document, FPIC by Indigenous Peoples is required in the actions being taken. In the followup of the outcome document, Indigenous Peoples around the world should be planning how to engage with their State or with the UN on every one of these paragraphs because it’s open to their full involvement.

Canada Rejects Free, Prior and Informed Consent

Canada was the standout objector to Free, Prior and Informed Consent in the document. That was not a surprise to most people, because Canada has made its political views on this known as far back as 2007. Despite the fact that they said they support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, if they don’t support the right of FPIC they don’t understand or accept self-determination. You can’t reject Free, Prior and Informed Consent and say that you support the Declaration.

It’s fortunate that Canada was the only State that really objected to this because it’s really a problem that Canada has to resolve for itself.

One of the important parts of the outcome document is that we want to assert that when it comes to a process to adjudicate lands, territories, and resources of Indigenous Peoples, the right of FPIC should be respected. Some member states had problems with the use of FPIC in that particular paragraph, so some adjustments were made to try and get around those concerns. But I just think that is niggling, because it is clearly established in the outcome document that the principle of FPIC applies throughout all paragraphs in the document.

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December 2014 • 17

Indigenous delegates from around the world participated in this historic event. Photos courtesy of Ryan RedCorn/Global Coordinating Group Media Team.

The Drafting Process

There were some paragraphs that did get dropped. The problem was getting States to agree on wording or commitment to the action, and if we couldn’t get that agreement they would drop out. I would argue that we’re better off having fewer actions if we want to see them implemented. One of the last paragraphs to be dropped was about militarization, calling for those countries where military activities occur to consult with Indigenous Peoples over their concerns. It was a diplomatic approach to simply open up discussion with the Indigenous Peoples. The wording went around and around until the only wording that could be agreed upon was just a reiteration of what’s in the Declaration. We did not want the Declaration just to be reiterated in this document, otherwise it makes this outcome document an interpretive document. The recommendation to take that paragraph out was from Indigenous Peoples because it didn’t provide any particular action for the member states.

Adoption of the Outcome Document

I’m extremely pleased that the outcome document was adopted by consensus. There was no vote, so there was no real call from the floor to explain or qualify it. It’s an excellent outcome. A number of States were not present at the time; only a few of the African countries were in the room. A resolution adopted by consensus doesn’t matter if there’s a quorum or that everyone was in the room—the strength and the impact of the resolution is the same. The conference was well attended by member states with Indigenous populations in their territories, and well attended of course by Indigenous Peoples’ delegations. The General Assembly room was well represented by everyone on the day that the document was adopted. In terms of the consultation procedures, member states were reluctant to attend the initial consultations. We only had a few of them in the room, and a lot of them didn’t speak up. Not until the final stages would we have 60–80 States involved with speaking and taking the floor. It’s a pity that we didn’t get that kind of attendance when Indigenous Peoples were in the room.

World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Timeline Sept. 13, 2007 UN Delcaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

2012 Indigenous regions hold preparatory meetings to define their priorities for the conference.

pre-2014 Dec. 21, 2010 UNGA resolution 65/198 calls for a high level plenary meeting in 2014, to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

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March 2014 North American Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus calls for the cancellation of WCIP after UNGA President’s February letter declared that he would not advance the principle of full and equal participation by Indigenous Peoples at the conference.

July 8, 2014 UNGA President publishes the zero draft of WCIP outcome document.

August 8, 2014 The first draft of the WCIP outcome document is released.

August 26, 2014 The second draft of the WCIP outcome document is published.

2014

June 8–13, 2013: Alta Conference 400+ Indigenous leaders from around the world meet at the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference in Alta, Norway. The Alta Outcome Document is published and presented by some member states as a UN document before the UNGA, with a request to use it during the drafting of the WCIP Outcome Document.

June 17–18 2014: Interactive Hearing UNGA President conducts the first round of informal consultations on the WCIP outcome document at UN headquarters in New York. The meeting is open to representatives of Indigenous Peoples and the UN, academic institutions, national human rights institutions, parliamentarians, civil society, and NGOs.

July 16, 2014 The second consultation takes place at the UN in New York.

August 18–19, 2014 The third consultation over the outcome document is held with Indigenous Peoples at the UN in New York.

Photo by Shane Brown, GCG Media Team.

Doors Are Open; Indigenous Peoples Now Have to Walk Through

At the conference, Indigenous delegates were all feeling very positive about what will happen after this process. The outcome document was kept as concise as it could be. We wanted it to be action-oriented. The smaller the document, the more likely the actions would be taken up and pursued, because it’s fewer things to focus on. Those 40 paragraphs are very specific in terms of the subject matter. It’s going to be very easy for people to look at particular paragraphs and say, ‘let’s go about implementing that,’ and ‘how are we going to do that.’ The other thing is that we deliberately incorporated paragraphs for UN procedures for promoting particular Indigenous Peoples’ rights, meaning every time there’s a forum on Indigenous Peoples’ issues these paragraphs will be raised for discussion.

There are requirements at the national level in the document.

For example, the creation of national action plans for the member states to report on the situation of Indigenous Peoples when they’re reporting to treaty bodies or the Universal

September 4–5, 2014 UN member states meet to revise the content of the second draft of the WCIP outcome document. The third draft is released on September 5.

September 9, 2014 Member states meet to revise the content of the third draft of the outcome document.

September 15, 2014 The final draft of the WCIP Outcome Document is released.

September 22–23, 2014: World Conference on Indigenous Peoples The Outcome Document is adopted by consensus by UNGA. Canada issues a reservation against Free, Prior and Informed Consent and the Vatican issues a reservation on the issue of reproductive rights.

Periodic Review Process. Also, the UN will revise its mechanisms and add to its structure overview and implementation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The final key is the followup: there are paragraphs that call for reports to the General Assembly by the secretary general about what has been achieved, and the secretary general is to provide further recommendations on how to implement the outcome document. That’s about as watertight as we can get it.

The document is written in such a way that when it says ‘we commit’ to doing something, the member states are making personal commitments to action. Because this document was adopted by consensus it applies to all member states with Indigenous populations. It’s a clear commitment. However, like the Declaration, as a resolution of the General Assembly it isn’t a legally binding instrument. That can only be created through another process where member states individually sign a document saying they will enforce these things into law. Some states make an issue of this, so good faith comes into the process here—member states, in representing the peoples of the world, going to the UN and making resolutions, are required by the charter to treat these resolutions in good faith. The fact is that this is as strong as you can get it. It’s even stronger than action plans that we had under the First and Second International Decades of the World’s Indigenous People. I think that if Indigenous Peoples wanted to get to the highest level of getting commitments for member states to do things, we’ve reached it. This is the highest level.

The outcome document is a good result and provides opportunities. But now that the key doors are open, it has to be Indigenous Peoples that walk through those doors. We can’t wait for member states to take the initiative, although some of them will. Indigenous Peoples that haven’t been able to get into the room now have the door open. But they’ve still got to walk into the room, they’ve still got to put in the effort and the organization and engage through this process in order to get the results.

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December 2014 • 19

Securing Mechanisms for Compliance Mirna Cunningham

(Miskita, Nicaragua)

Indigenous advisor to the president of the UN General Assembly

Photo by Whitney Minthorn, GCG Media Team.

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oday we have come to the culmination of a very complex process. Over the last four years, we Indigenous Peoples have said that we would not permit the UN to hold a World Conference on Indigenous Peoples that excluded our participation. We have tried to make sure that every decision about the conference was made jointly by member states and Indigenous Peoples. We succeeded by having the president of the General Assembly name two Indigenous advisors and two government advisors. We are the ones who have cofacilitated the drafting of the conference outcome document that was adopted this morning.

Since the beginning, it was said that the outcome document would be action-oriented. It’s not a document that creates new rights, but rather tells States and the UN how to comply with existing rights established in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This was a major challenge because it forces one to say, “I am committed. What am I committing to?” States always find a formula so as not to comply with what they’ve said. So that was a challenge, getting them to accept using a language of commitment. We succeeded in many paragraphs; in others, we ended up using softer language.

What is most emphasized in the document are mechanisms for compliance. Every State has to develop action plans or strategies to comply with the Declaration. The UN Human Rights Council will monitor States’ compliance based on reports that States submit to the treaty organizations. The UN must also create an action plan to ensure its agencies are aligned on the issues of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, which the secretary general will report on before the General Assembly.

The outcome document also says that the secretary general should name an Indigenous high level functionary.

When we talk about consensus we don’t necessarily mean that all the States are in agreement, but that they take on a commitment. Some States objected to certain paragraphs. For example, Canada issued a reservation against Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The Vatican, which is an observer state, issued a reservation on the issue of reproductive rights.

That was one of the issues that took the longest to reach con-

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sensus; it’s a problem among the States that doesn’t only have to do with Indigenous Peoples, but with human rights in general, because reproductive rights are not only a woman’s problem. Everything we’re talking about here is global rights, universal rights. The greatest accomplishment of this whole process was the opening of the UN to Indigenous Peoples, not just in the drafting of the document but in the organization of every one of the activities taking place. Maybe the ideal would have been to have more Indigenous heads of state, but this was a tool to help us keep moving forward. It is not the end of the road.

Four months ago this all seemed impossible: it seemed like the best solution was to cancel the conference. So succeeding in just four months in changing the will of the States, achieving their commitment, has a lot to do with the strength of the Indigenous movement at the community level. We all need each other, we all complement each other. It’s like the Indigenous cosmovision: everyone complements everyone else.

So I send a greeting to everyone and am grateful for the effort that you are making. Many brothers and sisters have fallen in this struggle. It is in their name that we keep moving forward, and in the name of future generations.

Holding a Line Mililani Trask (Native Hawaiian) Indigenous rights attorney and activist

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ver the last 20 years the UN was called to have global consultations on issues of critical importance to the world. When it came time to have the world look at the issues of Indigenous Peoples, the promised world conference did not unfold and was not funded. Rather, they came up with a two-day high level plenary. The significance of it is that it will be the first time Indigenous Peoples are ever allowed to go higher than the Economic and Social Council.

But of course, there’s not a significant amount of work you can do with a few hours for two days. I and many other Indigenous leaders that are participating are really here out of caution. We all know that the General Assembly has declared war in less than 15 minutes, so we run significant risks if we do not participate in what will be several hours of discussions relating to our lands, our human rights, and how we’re going to be treated in the post-2015 agenda.

We’re here to participate, but for myself it is to hold a line—and as expected, the States are already beginning to disagree. So we see that progress may be made in some areas, but in critical areas we can’t Photo by Danielle DeLuca

even get it into the discussion document. We are really here to hold the line and make sure they don’t diminish selfdetermination.

Like most outcome documents, States will interpret one way and Indigenous and civil society will interpret in other ways. For instance, the commitment of States to address Indigenous land rights with appropriate legislation doesn’t tell you that that legislation will bring justice. Rarely do you see a clear commitment coming from the UN. So what the value of the outcome document will be, will be a priority that we will have to follow up. The question is, will they interpret their obligations in the same way that we do?

Photo courtesy of CHT News Update.

Outcome Document as a Tool for Lobbying

Raja Devasish Roy

(Chief of the Chakma Raja, Chittagong Hill Tracts Bangladesh)

UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues member

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would like to look at the outcome document with regard to the actors. I think there are two distinct sets of actors apart from Indigenous Peoples: one are the States, at the national level, and the other is the UN system. In the case of the UN system, I think we can be reasonably optimistic of a little more meat to the skeleton, the skeleton being the UN Declaration. But with regard to the national government, it’s actually a very confusing and vague picture. This is the good thing: this is a political commitment. It’s a world conference.

So even if you repeat the same language from the UN Declaration and put it here [in the outcome document] with a little more of an action-oriented tinge to it, Indigenous Peoples can use it as a tool for lobbying. With regard to action-orienting the activities on land, or health, or education, or women’s rights, in that case I think the situation varies. With some governments that have been very strong on Indigenous rights, like Bolivia, Mexico, Denmark, and so forth, I think this is good. But I think the weakness in this world conference is in mobilizing a lot more governments, particularly from Africa and Asia.

Canada Interprets Free, Prior and Informed Consent as Only Consultation—Not Consent Chief Perry Bellegarde Saskatchewan Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations and Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations

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esterday, Canada was the only state to provide an Explanation of Vote, stating that it would formally submit its position regarding the UN Declaration and its concerns with a few paragraphs in the Outcome Document.

In this written position, Canada contradicted its own 2010 endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In its endorsement, the government ultimately concluded: “We are now confident that Canada can interpret the principles expressed in the Declaration in a manner that is consistent with our Constitution and legal framework.” Yesterday, as a written position, Canada omitted the above key conclusion. This is bad faith. Canada has misled the General Assembly, member States, and Indigenous Peoples globally. Canada’s actions undermine human rights, good governance, and the rule of law at the international and national level. This is not the way to engage in human rights and foreign affairs at the United Nations. And I do not accept this.

Canada Interprets Free, Prior and Informed Consent as Only consultation—Not Consent

This is incorrect. In the Tsilhqot’in Nation Supreme Court of Canada decision, Canada’s Supreme Court used the term “consent” in nine paragraphs and the “right to control” the land in eleven paragraphs. The Court added that the “right to control” means “consent” must be obtained from Aboriginal titleholders. It is wrong for Canada to claim that Paragraph 3 of the Outcome Document, which reflects Free, Prior and Informed Consent in the Declaration, would “run counter to Canada’s Constitution.” Canada cannot disregard the rulings of its own highest Court.

I am here at the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples to work for a tomorrow where this is not the status quo. I welcome all opportunities to work in cooperation with Canada on the full and effective implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, affirming and protecting our human rights, our inherent and Aboriginal rights, our Treaty rights, and our collective rights for present and future generations.

Listen to these interviews in their entirety and more at soundcloud.com/culturalsurvival.

To read the WCIP Outcome Document, visit: goo.gl/slPnlw.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 21

We Are Our Own Experts

Ingrid Sub Cuc interviews Michael Preston.

Michael Preston (Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Northern California)

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e are speaking on behalf of Mount Shasta and the McCloud River. We are working on restoring our salmon population on our river that was blocked

by Shasta dam, which covered up to 90 percent of our homelands. It’s great to see all of the Indigenous people here from around the world coming together for the same cause. It’s about protection of our homelands and and trying to communicate that the best we can in order to speak up for Mother Earth.

I want something dramatic to come from this: justice for the whole world and protection of sacred sites; for the whole world to understand the importance of land, that it goes beyond economic means, and to think about it as a life force that controls everything and that we are just a part of it. And that exists outside of political language. It exists outside of States, it’s bigger than governments, and it’s bigger than the people here. We’re just the people speaking up for it. I want that worldview taken more seriously, because that’s what the truth of the land is. We want more time dedicated to these issues on behalf of the UN. Being a younger person and forging alliances with other young people who are here, working with each other in the age of social media, I think that will be a very powerful thing.

The UN process has not been very successful as far as protecting our homelands where I come from. Whatever progress is made here, we have yet to see it back home in my local community. I think all those communities that are here would like

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to see that as well. It’s such a general thing to say, “protecting our homelands”—what does that mean? That statement encompasses so much, but we have to keep it short because we’re elevator speeches out here. It basically means protecting the rivers and restoring the ecosystem to the way it’s supposed to be.

Youth should try to make it to the UN. Be aware of your local issues, your home, your own family issues, and become an expert on that because that’s what we are. We are the experts of our own people and our own issues. We can combine with other people who have that power, and we can form alliances, and then we can protect our people. That’s our obligation, to protect our moms, and our grandmas, and our future kids and the land, because that’s what Indigenous people do.

That’s our job in life. Remembering always what our traditions are, speaking the language, remembering our dances and songs, remembering our sacred sites, and just those old ways. The old ways are universal. They’ll never be old, they’ll never be new, they’re just the truth. And that’s what we need to be realizing. There’s a conscious change. Just being educated on our own tribal histories and ways of life is so important right now.

Our Problems Will Not Be Resolved Just Within The UN System Windel B. Bolinget (Igorot, The Philippines)

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ndigenous Peoples should not just expect that our problems will be resolved within the UN system since we know that it is composed of States and governments. Behind these are powerful corporations, ruling elite, and rich people, who are the ones violating our inherent right to selfdetermination, our land and territories and even our resources, and our Free, Prior and Informed Consent. We are looking at the UN system as one platform to advance our demands and rights. But fundamental to advancing the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights is fighting for these rights in our own territories and communities and drawing broader support from wider political and social movements to help empower us. Our problems are not only confined to Indigenous Peoples, but are also intertwined with the problems of poor people, even those who are not Indigenous.

I expect that the legitimate demands and voices of Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous peoples who are also vulnerable and affected by climate change will be registered and clearly articulated. Indigenous Peoples have much to offer in forwarding solutions to resolve the climate crisis. It’s time that States and corporations listen to the proposals and the recommendations that Indigenous Peoples are offering because in resolving climate change, Indigenous knowledge and participation is fundamental.

Keep Moving Forward Silvia Carrera (Ngöbe-Buglé, Panama) General Cacique

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wo years ago we experienced repression by the Panamanian government in which our lands and natural resources from our Mother Earth were attacked and exploited and thousands of people were killed. Indigenous Peoples have to fight to attain important leadership positions to

Photo by Whitney Minthorn, GCG Media Team.

I hope Ban Ki Moon and the whole UN system finally listen to the demands of the people’s protest and the people’s march on the climate crisis and refrain from imposing false solutions to climate change. The “green economy,” the post2015 development agenda that they are forwarding, are fundamentally no different from the economic paradigm that was the root cause of this disastrous climate change that destroys Mother Earth and the environment. If the capitalist system, the root evil of catastrophic climate change is not stopped, climate change will not be reversed. The most vulnerable sectors of society, like Indigenous Peoples, are the most victimized.

In the Cordillera region, 75 percent of the people are Indigenous. The projects of foreign mining companies, logging, and other extractive investments really aggravate the impacts of climate change: the destruction of our livelihoods, our rice fields, the landslides of roads that will paralyze the transportation and communication of our communities and cause many deaths, either buried because of landslides or flooding.

The destruction of our livelihood leads to hunger, sickness, and further marginalization and economic hardship. Indigenous Peoples such as in our community are the most marginalized. We don’t have these kinds of strong buildings, all the resources and the capital to be able to adapt or mitigate the impacts of climate change. Indigenous Peoples are poor.

We live in vulnerable communities. Once our communities, our forests that we depend on are destroyed, the impacts of climate change will be tenfold compared to non-Indigenous communities.

defend ourselves and manage our own interests, our own laws that protect us all as Indigenous Peoples. Leaders need to not only think in terms of our personal interests, but rather at the national and international level, because we are being exploited by big transnational corporations like the mining and hydroelectric companies and illegal sales that happen under laws made by Congressmen.

Right now, we are trying to carry our voices to where they haven’t gotten before. Our people live in the mountains, forgotten, in a difficult place. But we’ve raised awareness, we’ve had workshops with other Indigenous Peoples who have visited us and have given us strength, and we will continue doing that to empower and self-govern ourselves. I’ve taken on a lot as a woman because in our country there has been a lot of machismo, and women have not been able to access important leadership positions. This is the first time, with me as the General Cacique, that we have a woman leader in Panama, and we’ve achieved a lot because I always respond to what the majority wants. I am going to get many of these programs and development for my people through consultations so we don’t make mistakes.

My message would be, above all, to the compañeros, the women leaders and authorities, the leaders from different countries, that we keep moving forward. Women are facing many difficult challenges but I believe we can progress. We must serve as examples in our communities, as women and as women leaders, for our future generations.

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Photo courtesy of Shane Brown, GCG Media Team.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

Philanthropy as Reciprocity Ingrid Sub Cuc and Mark Camp (CS STAFF) “Indigenous reciprocity is much more complex than a two-way exchange of favors… while the word reciprocity is not used often in our daily lives, it is deeply embedded in most Indigenous cultures. Where reciprocity remains strong in many respects, we must acknowledge that in other respects the serious erosion of our worldview has consequently caused damage to our systems of reciprocity. But we continue to have strong philosophical continuity.”

— Roberta L. Jamieson, Canadian lawyer, First Nations activist, and keynote speaker at the opening of the IFIP World Summit on Indigenous Philanthropy UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Vicky Tauli-Corpuz.

Roberta Jamieson (Mohawk), CEO of Indspire.

An exchange of ideas in the halls of the summit.

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eciprocity, the practice of exchanging with others for mutual benefit, is the basis for relationships in many Indigenous communities and was the buzzword characterizing the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) World Summit on Indigenous Philanthropy. The summit took place September 24–26 in New York City, dovetailing with the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, the UN Climate Summit, and the People’s Climate March. It brought together funders, NGOs, and Indigenous leaders to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous philanthropy by allowing them to create relationships without the constraint of the funder-recipient dynamic, working as equal partners.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, spoke at the World Summit on the important role that Indigenous philanthropy has in the future of climate change. Her remarks highlighted the importance of the climate march, particularly for Indigenous Peoples: “Indigenous Peoples did not contribute to climate change, but we are asked to solve the crisis. Controlling climate change requires the respect and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. I like to believe that our funders have the same passion and commitment as Indigenous people to leave a better future for our next generation,” she said.

Currently, less than one percent of philanthropic giving benefits Indigenous Peoples.

International Funders for Indigenous Peoples is a nonprofit organization that aims to transform philanthropy globally through encouraging and facilitating partnerships with Indigenous Peoples to further vision, imagination, and responsibility to tackle the challenges of our times. Its members include foundations and individual donors who are focused on funding opportunities for Indigenous Peoples.

Conference speakers provided a closer look at philanthropy and reciprocity as it operates in Indigenous communities. One panel considered the role of youth in continuing the work of philanthropic leaders in their communities and the necessity of educating them for the future. Neydi Juracan Morales (Kaqchiquel Maya), a youth leader from the Comite Campesina del Altiplano, shared that “young Indigenous women in many communities experience discrimination four times: one for being a woman, two for being Indigenous, three for being young, and four for being a leader.” Morales spoke of the struggle to bridge the generational gap between her elders and her peers, more so to prove to her family that being a woman should not limit her work in advancing the political and social movements in her community. “Women are a vital resource to Indigenous communities because we know what our families need. Women play a huge role in maintaining the household; it only makes sense that we have a vote in decisions,” she said.

Plenary onorg collaborations between multi- and 24 •session ww w. cs. bilateral funders and Indigenous communities.

Also discussed at the event were the rights of Indigenous people with disabilities and their role in Indigenous philanthropy. Diana Samarasan, founding executive director of the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, spoke of the underrepresentation of Indigenous people with disabilities in both political and social realms. She highlighted a different angle of reciprocity—one between movements—in discussing the necessity of acknowledging these members of our communities for the progress and equal representation of Indigenous communities. “We have been funding cross-movement work between the Indigenous Peoples movement and the disability rights movement. Indigenous people with disabilities have been invisible in both movements,” she explained. “The disability community globally [as well as the Indigenous movement] has the slogan, ‘Nothing about us without us.’ And that’s how we, as a funder, have tried to build what we do around that concept . . . the structure that we use for funding is to incorporate the voices of persons with disabilities at all levels of what we’re doing.”

Conference participants were encouraged to ask questions and actively participate in the discussions in order to gain broader perspectives. One such question asked how Indigenous funders are incorporating the concept of reciprocity within their respective organizations. Mirna Cunningham, a Miskita leader and activist on the Reimagining Resources, Reciprocity, and Relationship in Grantmaking panel said, “Our concept of reciprocity is a concept of sharing…so our vision at FIMI [Foro Internacional de Mujeres Indigenas] is that we provide the funds and the various groups provide their traditional knowledge. That’s how it works, we share and we exchange.”

The panel discussed the funders’ responsibility to view Indigenous philanthropy as mutually beneficial. As Cunningham expressed, the idea is that each side provides their resources to bring about sustainable and culturally sensitive change.

“In traditional Indigenous communities you are aware of what your neighbor has; that is, we know if he has one or two camels. That is how we know what they need in hard times. But the modern economy makes us put our money in the bank where we don’t see it. How then do we know what we have and don’t have? We can’t share that way,” said Dr. Hussein Isack from the Kivulini Heritage Trust.

Participants repeatedly underscored the idea that protecting the environment protects resources for all, including future generations—and that this is the highest form of reciprocity. “Remember that water is our first food, and that food is water. We must conserve our land and our water at the same time,” said Melissa Nelson of The Cultural Conservancy during the Food Sovereignty, Indigenous People, and the Future of Agriculture: a Global Strategy panel. Sustainable land use was also a recurring theme. “Now that we control over 40,000 hectares (150 square miles), the challenge is how to manage it without destroying it. We can’t just continue with the colonial way,” said Abdon Nababan of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago.

Change must happen at several levels for reciprocity to blossom; changing the culture of funding is essential and needs to respect the way Indigenous communities operate.

Tauli-Corpuz explained, “Some donors want to see big impact in very little time, but it doesn’t work that way. It took 25 years to draft and pass the UN declaration, so it All photos by Mark Camp and Ingrid Sub Cuc

takes that long.” Sandra Macias del Villar of the Global Fund for Children offered a donor’s perspective, saying that funders too often restrict what the community wants to do. She argued that communities need flexible funding, money that can be spent on anything from transportation to meetings to Internet access. “Too many funders fund short term for just a year or two. That is just not enough time to accomplish anything,” she said.

Reflecting on the event as a whole, Atama Katama, conference panelist and nonprofit leader, commented, “I feel that the summit is very important to not just Indigenous people, but for funders themselves to know more about the new level of working with Indigenous Peoples, especially after the outcome document of the world conference. In the same way, we Indigenous Peoples who are empowered by the process of the world conference now have in mind, can think about, can strengthen the passion to work with philanthropists who are here today.”

(L–R): Anne Henshaw, Oak Foundation; Alona Yefimenko, Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat; Heather Kendall-Miller, Native American Rights Fund.

–ori Grantmakers Recognized Ma The recipient of the 2014 IFIP Award for Indigenous Grantmaking went to the JR McKenzie Trust.

Founded in 1940, it is one of the oldest organizations in New Zealand that supports the well being –ori people. This is the and development of the Ma first time an award was given to a foundation that –ori tribal and community leaders has appointed Ma on its Board to share in the decision making.

Executive Director Evelyn Arce said, “JR McKenzie Trust is a model for the future of Indigenous philanthropy which places community leaders at the center of the decision making process.”

To learn more about International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, visit: internationalfunders.org.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 25

our s upp o r t e r s Meet Our Fall Interns Thank you to all of our wonderful Fall interns. Interns make the wheels spin at Cultural Survival and are an essential part of our work. (L-R): Penelope Turner, Madeline McGill, Julie O’Neill, Alex Glomset. Not pictured: Stephanie Guthridge, Carley Minkler, Johnny Motley, Shaina Semiatin, Rachel Ward, Kristen Williams.

“Interning at Cultural Survival in 2004 truly set the foundation and direction for my professional and academic career, igniting a passion within me for both anthropology and Indigenous issues.

I went on to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar, work at the Department of State and Peace Corps headquarters, and receive my MA in anthropology from The George Washington University. Uniting both anthropology and Indigenous issues, I now work at the Administration for Native Americans, which recently partnered with Cultural Survival on a grant to revitalize the Sauk language. I’m thankful for the work that Cultural Survival does, and grateful that I had the opportunity to contribute.”

— Abigail Kardel

Support Cultural Survival Today!

For over 42 years Cultural Survival has worked with Indigenous Peoples all over the world, from the Anuak people in Ethiopia to Maya communities in Guatemala. As we look forward to our next 40 years, it is essential that we continue to have your participation in our mission. For more information or to make your gift, go to

donate.culturalsurvival.org

Leave a lasting legacy with a Planned Gift A gift from your estate through wills, trusts, life insurance, and retirement assets builds a foundation for Cultural Survival’s future while offering tax advantages to you. The Cultural Survival Legacy Society recognizes those members who have included Cultural Survival in their estate plans. For more information, go to cs.org/ plannedgiving, or call 617-441-5400.

Here are some ways you can get involved: • Renew your membership and continue to receive your own copy of the Cultural Survival Quarterly • Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter to get the latest from Indigenous communities around the world • Be part of our Global Response Program and take action to support the rights of Indigenous Peoples by writing letters and sending emails 26 • ww w. cs. org • Stay connected by following us on Twitter (@CSORG) and liking us on Facebook (facebook.com/culturalsurvival)

B a za a r v e n d or : Keeping T radition A live in S ilver

Moussa Albaka

Photos courtesy of International Folk Art Alliance

Penelope Turner

F

rom the young age of 10, Moussa Albaka was taught the art of Tuareg silversmithing and jewelry making from his father and grandfather. His family has been involved in silversmithing for many generations, as well as camel caravan trading throughout the Sahara Desert. Their jewelry is 95 percent silver and is made by a wax process that takes hundreds of hours to complete. The men engrave intricate geometric designs in the repoussé style, hammering out shapes from the reverse side of the piece and inlaying semi-precious stones, metals, and ebony.

Such techniques take a great deal of time, but they maximize the feel and beauty of each piece. Now Albaka is sharing his craft with the next generation of his family. “I teach my brother, my nephews, and my son. It is about keeping tradition alive,” he says.

Albaka is Inadan, an artisan tribe of the Tuareg in Niger, West Africa. The Tuareg are also known as the “blue men of the Sahara” because their traditional robes and turbans contain a deep indigo dye that rubs off on the skin. They live as nomads, herders, farmers, and city dwellers, mainly in Niger, Mali, Libya, and Burkina Faso, with Agadez, Niger as the tribal center.

Prior to 1992, Albaka traded in Europe and Africa. His business expanded to America when he met the US Ambassador in Niger who encouraged him to travel abroad. When he first came to the United States he toured several cities, selling his jewelry at art fairs.

He started working with other artists to get inspiration and see how they made their jewelry. In 2001 Albaka moved permanently from Niger to the United States, living in San Francisco and New Mexico before finally settling down in Arizona. Many of his designs are traditional, but he has been creating modern pieces in his own unique style for many years. He has collaborated with several well-known designers, exhibited his artwork in the Smithsonian Museum, and won the UNESCO award for artistic excellence.

Albaka settled in Arizona because its desert climate is similar to Niger. The desert is where he grew up, learned the trade, and has continued to teach his children and others. In the Sahara, people who live there have nothing but their skills. This is the way that the Tuareg live; they travel to other communities and sell their jewelry where they can. Traditionally the pieces are much larger, however, Albaka wanted to make his smaller to be more wearable. He creates necklaces, earrings, buckles, and amulets. “When I create my own jewelry, I create art,” he says. Creating art is not just for the men, however. Albaka’s sister makes belts, boxes, pillow covers, and leather camel bags. These are decorated with bright colored leathers using techniques of embroidery, etchings, fringing, and weaving.

The money Albaka earns by selling jewelry helps him provide for his children and nephews who live in Niger. When he is not at art fairs or working on his latest piece, he returns to Niger to teach the art of Tuareg jewelry: “When I am back in Niger, I travel to schools, to teach children, to educate them in arts.” For Albaka, jewelry making and teaching are not just ways to make money.

They are ways to connect with the generations before him, the desert, and his identity.

For centuries, Tuareg silversmiths have perfected their trade using only simple, easy-to-transport hand tools, charcoal, and fire. Moussa Albaka carries on this tradition today.

Come visit Moussa Albaka at these 2014 Winter Bazaars: Dec. 5–7, Arsenal Project, Watertown, MA Dec. 12–14, CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge, MA Dec. 19–21, The Shops at Prudential Center, Boston, MA For more information, visit bazaar.cs.org.

Get Involved

How to Maximize Your Effectiveness at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Joshua Cooper

T

he United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council that meets annually to discuss Indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health, and human rights. The intensive 10-day session brings together Indigenous Peoples, member states, UN agencies, programs, and funds as well as academics and activists at UN headquarters in New York to exchange best practices on advancing Indigenous Peoples’ rights. For many delegates, the personal measurement of successful participation is the delivery of an intervention on at least one agenda item, optimally with their specific situation being cited in the Forum’s concluding observations. Adopting a strategy to prepare for the Forum can result in tangible improvements in the daily lives of Indigenous Peoples. Following are specific steps to help create a successful Forum experience.

The Expert Group Meeting

Each January, the Expert Group Meeting invites Indigenous leaders, independent scholars, and UN officials to address a specific theme, launching a dialogue on the legal and moral issues raised at the previous session. Specific language is then drafted for the official study to be presented at the upcoming session. The 2015 theme is “Dialogue on an Optional Protocol to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

You can prepare a paper for presentation related to the theme to have a voice in determining the direction of the study. Consult your community to examine the significance of the specific study and how it could contribute to changing your local situation. Proposals can include bold and specific language that will prove valuable to Indigenous Peoples. If it is not possible to attend, one can still follow the meeting and discuss the papers presented.

This will allow for better preparation for the actual Forum and for drafting intervention that can contribute to the final discussion.

In-Country Preparatory and Regional Meetings

Experts gather to meet with the Forum secretariat and witness firsthand the Indigenous situation at the invitation of a host country’s government. This meeting suggests 28 • www. ww w. cs. org

Ta’Kaiya Blaney (Sliammon First Nation, British Columbia, Canada), 13 years old, makes an intervention at the 2014 UNPFII.

specific agenda items to be featured at the annual session.

Additionally, regional preparatory meetings usually take place a couple of months prior to the actual Forum. Each of the seven Indigenous regions hosts a meeting with Indigenous Peoples on a regional position paper addressing specific agenda items. These meetings allow for a collective conversation about how each agenda item relates to Indigenous Peoples’ experience, and can be a space for drafting interventions and seeking out specific speakers to contribute to the main stage of the Forum. Offering personal, regional examples to the global stage will illuminate the urgency of the issue.

Organizing a Side Event

The regional preparatory meetings are an opportunity to identify side events that would be valuable to improving Indigenous rights. Be sure to include Indigenous voices directly. Brainstorm the UN agencies, programs, and funds as well as major civil society actors that have a mission or mandate to be able to partner for a side event, and will also follow up to protect fundamental freedoms of Indigenous Peoples. Prepare the necessary paperwork to request rooms for side events and register for the Forum well ahead of the deadlines.

Maintain the Momentum

As the Forum’s popularity increased over the past decade (over 2,000 delegates attended the most recent session), it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to accommodate the ever-increasing number of Indigenous nations arriving at the doorstep of the diplomatic world.

The Forum secretariat, member, and chairs realized that the regional meetings could serve as essential preparation for prioritization of specific language for interventions. The measure allowing regions to speak first on each agenda item has encouraged Indigenous Peoples to work together prior to the session to survey their regions for specific, common situations and develop a set of recommendations to share. In the months leading up to the Forum, it is important to maintain the momentum generated from the regional preparatory meetings.

Participate in Caucuses

Youth and women have added to the traditional regional collaboration to guarantee a unified voice on each agenda

CS Staffer Rosy González (Kaqchikel) with Alma Temaj (Mam) at the Forum in 2014.

item. The Women’s Caucus has continued to expand its engagement with increasing days of preparation, while the Youth Caucus continues to professionalize its participation with weekend training and the creation of core groups to draft interventions. Indigenous Peoples with disabilities have also created a caucus that continues to increase its presence at the Forum. It is important for Indigenous delegations to participate in these regional caucuses, but also to participate in the thematic caucus to offer alternative avenues for advocacy.

In the month prior to the Forum, it is crucial to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with officials from UN agencies, programs, and funds that participate in the session as well as other institutions that haven’t attended but have mandates pertinent to promotion and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. You can arrange meetings with these organizations when in New York, as most have offices located within a block of UN headquarters. These meetings are an opportunity for two styles of “asks:” one to immediately cease a project that has been harm- ful to Indigenous Peoples, and one to propose a specific new program that would enhance respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights. It is also a good idea to request specific contact from the organization in-country upon return to one’s homeland.

Special Rapporteur: Register Early

It is important to register early to meet with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Only short time slots are available, so you should come prepared with documentation supporting the most pertinent points. Read recent thematic reports ahead of time so you can provide examples for the current reports being compiled. The meeting can also be used to request a future country visit and to begin mapping out that schedule. This is an opportunity to share latest developments and to request specific actions including a press conference, a letter to the government requesting response, or a condemnation of specific rights violations.

Finalize the Intervention

The intervention should be drafted in close consultation with your community prior to the Forum. When preparing an intervention, it is imperative to lead with recommendations. Research whether any recommendations were All photos by Danielle DeLuca.

Side event organized by Cultural Survival: Principles of good governance: Local governments’ use of UNDRIP and its challenges. (L-R) Mark Camp of Cultural Survival, Ben Koissaba of Maa Civil Society Forum, Bouba Aeisatu of the Cameroon Indigenous Women Forum.

adopted in previous sessions, and note the progress on implementation of these recommendations. New recommendations should be followed with example paragraphs that exemplify the essence of the recommendations. It is important to think through the entire Forum process, connecting recommendations with the UN agencies whose mandates deal with the agenda item and including specific actions the UN should take to assist Indigenous Peoples in realizing the recommendations. Final edits with the most current examples and related research can take place immediately prior to the Forum.

Utilize All Resources Available

The Forum is comprised of 16 independent experts functioning in their personal capacity, who serve for a term of 3 years as members and may be reelected or reappointed for 1 additional term. Eight of the members are nominated by governments and eight are nominated directly by Indigenous organizations in their regions. It is vital to meet with the Forum expert from your region. Building a relationship with the rapporteur is also important as this person prepares the first draft of the report released on the final Friday of the session, to be read before the entire Forum assembly. The actual 10-day session is the culmination of an annual campaign offering actions and implementation of recommendations.

A weekend training prior to the Forum providing historical analysis and how-to advocacy action, including drafting of interventions for first time Forum attendees, can strengthen the entire process. The actual session is a whirlwind two weeks with side events, concurrent conferences, rights receptions, and film festivals. The more preparation that is done in advance, the more it will be possible to accomplish on each agenda item during the Forum.

Next year’s session of the UNPFII takes place April 20–May 1 2015. Keep track of dates and deadlines at the UNPFII website: goo.gl/yCXmVn.

Cultural Survival Quarterly

December 2014 • 29

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