Lines from the past four days at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

This is our last day at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. There have been so many presentations, ideas, people, experiences that it is hard to synthesize in a meaningful way. What I am doing in today's post is to highlight some of the phrases I heard that shifted my thinking or perspective. Unfortunately I didn't always catch who was speaking, but I tried!


Oren Lyons - Indigenous peoples are those who know how to thank the earth."

Oren Lyons -"There is a need to educate others about how to respect the earth."

Unattributed - Adults are those who are responsible as stewards for the children. This involves keeping the earth for the next generations.

Youth presenter - "We are a reality, not an issue."

How does racism counter an affirmation of (Indigenous) identity by youth?

Indigenous Women's Caucus - What are the contemporary manifestations of the doctrine of discovery?

African Caucus - One Indigenous language disappears every two weeks.

 Ecuadorian Indigenous representative - "In our community, everyone is a mother, a father, an uncle. In an urban centre Indigenous people are alienated from relations." A greeting is an important entry to communication. In cities, this opening is gone.

Ecuador Indigenous representative - "We don't always know we live in an Indigenous space."

Indigenous people are those who carry the burden.

Guatamala Indigenous representative - "Democracy is not legitimate without the participation of Indigenous women and youth."

Mexican Indigenous representataive - "I would like our country to liberate itself from racial discrimination so we can arrive at mutual respect."

"At my child's school, the children run away when I pick up my child. Parents tell their children that if they don't behave, I will take them away."

Tarcila Rivera - "Education is necessary to develop critical awareness....We need to appropriate technology as a tool to build rights and confirm culture."

Uncredited - "There is the language of the state and there is the language of the people."

Youth reprentative from Canada - "Our bodies are an environment." "Our body is our territory."

Danika Littlechild - "Women are the forgotten framework." "Women are the motivators for environmental agreements, but when drafted women become passive subjects instead of partcipants."

Pueblo representative - "The standard for safety for nuclear mining needs to be a pregnant woman, and not the 'fake man' used in 1945."

German representative to World Bank - "Is the 'do no harm' principle enough or should it be 'commit good'?"

My general comment is that there was an ongoing thread regarding 'free, prior and informed consent' versus 'consultation' versus 'significant Indigenous partnership or control'. Some used the 'free, prior and informed consent' framework while others called for a much strong self-determination framework. It is interesting to see where people are at in this ongoing dialogue.

Brenda Small, Confederation College, Canada/Mocreebec Council of the Crees

Tom Goldtooth

Third day - United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Today the key lesson I learned was the diversity of frameworks used by various Indigenous peoples around the world, as well as the similarity of some of these frameworks with the ones adopted by the Mocreebec Council of the Crees - the community I am most familiar with.

In particular, there were calls to recognize those Indigenous groups who self-define and do not rely on the labels and status bestowed upon them by colonial governments. This is precisely what Mocreebec has asserted for years. Mocreebec has asserted that only they have the rights to determine their own governance structure through clan councils, and that they can establish their own community sustainability without needing the approval or co-dependence of nation-state governments.

Another key item was the emphasis on controlling and managing resources, education and health for and by Indigenous community members.This theme was expanded upon by a panel that discussed the concept of environmental violence which is the negative and violent impacts on the environment and Indigenous peoples resulting from extractive industries. In this area, Mocreebec has been a leader in terms of working to develop resources in a method that lives out Cree values and supports environmental sustainability. For example, the Ecolodge and other businesses in the James Bay area were developed as a way of creating sustainability while manifesting Cree traditional values. I know it was not an easy thing to do given political and other pressure to link with external governance structures, but governance and self-determination need to be rooted first before reaching out is possible.

Ecuadorian and other Mesoamerican presenters spoke about reaching out to other nations in the areas of education and health while being solidly situated within a strong self-determining and self-identifying framework. From a position of health and strength, this is possible. However while going through the process of establishing a strong Indigenous governance structure - without the foundation of decision-making - sharing and reaching out is likely a significant challenge.

Unfortunately, not every community can come to the UN and see how many commonalities and allies they have around the world, but everyone should. I hope that Mocreebec and others come to share where they are at, and their vision and learning with others here in this powerful Indigenous forum. There is lots to share, and it is always a wonderful thing to see that one is not alone. There are allies and there is a broader movement out there. We are all swimming in the same stream....

Second day of the 12th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

The highlight of the day came at the end when there was a cultural event for all the delegates to the conference. It was a BLAST!!! What a wonderful thing to dance with compadres and comadres from all over the world. I have always had a dream to do that, and I did in front of the UN General Assembly chambers. I doubt that the UN has seen that much fun in a long time.

The low point was the fact that my camera died, so I only have one picture to share with you.



 

The party starts! Dancing and music in front of the General Assembly chambers.

In the general session today, there were many excellent presentations and interventions. I was particularly interested to hear of the innovations and policy/program developments in Ecuador where they have an Indigenous intercultural university called The House of Wisdom. Unfortunately the university faces serious challenges. Yesterday the Ecuadorian presenter had spoken about the challenges of racism in the inter-cultural health sector and some of the initiatives they have established to address intercultural health and Indigenous health issues. They are trying to ensure the recognition of ancestral medicine and also health pluralism. Another interesting presenter from Russia spoke about an Arctic university that they have to support education for nomadic and Northern peoples. There was a presentation by the Youth Caucus which highlighted the solidarity of youth delegates who came to stand around their chosen speaker. All in all, there was much to learn and much to agree with.

Tomorrow is another day....

United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues - The 12th Session

Here we are on Monday on the first day of the 12th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. We wandered around disoriented in this large, slightly deteriorating time capsule complex from the 1950's. Yes, I am speaking about the UN complex. It is impressive to see Indigenous people from all over the world coming to gather and speak and listen. The biggest impression I have from this first day is that it is amazing that there has been such a significant struggle for Indigenous people to have a presence here. Oren Lyons spoke of the early days when a small group protested across the street from the UN campus, facing a phalanx of police. Now people gather to speak in the Ecosoc Council Chambers. These are steps.

I think that this is an important place to assert voices. But I am sad at the energy it takes to assert and to resist Indigenous presence on the stages of the world. I look for ways for a direct communication between communities without having to knock on doors...