For Indigenous Peoples, food security is necessary for health, and also to maintain a relationship with the earth and its resources.
What is also valuable for Indigenous Peoples is to consume culturally appropriate food. In this radio program, we speak to Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough and Carolina Behe, as we find out more about food sovereignty and food security amongst Inuit and Peoples in the Arctic.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris (KhoiSan)
Interviewees: Carolina Behe and Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough(Iñupiat)
Image: Berry picking. Photo by Chris Arend.
Music:
On September 13 we commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations.
The Declaration is an instrument to enshrine the rights that constitutes the minimum standards of survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peoples around the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already posed a grave health threat to the world's Indigenous Peoples as they already experience poor access to essential healthcare services. Indigenous Peoples globally are seeking their own solutions to this pandemic. Indigenous Rights Radio program producer Dev Kumar Sunuwar caught up with Francisco Cali Tzay, the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples who discussed COVID-19’s impacts on Indigenous communities.
Cultural Survivals Indigenous Rights Radio got in touch with Professor Michael Yellowbird via Skype in July 2020 after hearing about how indigenous peoples in Brazil and indeed other places in the world, are struggling to come to terms with the less obvious effects of COVID-19.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris
Interviewee: Professor Michael Yellowbird
Music: Lights in the Forrest by Yarina. Used with permission.
"Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
Because of colonisation, many Indigenous Peoples face issues of discovering who they are, in terms of identity. Sometimes, this is as a result of education or religion.
Sometimes we question our own indigeneity, and perhaps, in some cases, there are reasons for this.
Each of us has a different past, a different coming together of events, that has led to who we are, and where we come from.
Cultural Survivals Avexnim Cojti spoke to Cathy Fournier, from the University of Torronto, in Canada.
"Within each body is an archaeological site that holds the details and wisdom of our extraordinary life story, composed of generational, spiritual, and personal experiences. Historical amnesia locks these stories in the body, manifesting as pain, disease, addictions, emotional patterns, and repetitive circumstances. Somatically excavating your personal legend unearths memories of the past that can be reconciled and healed in order to create a new myth-for your body and for your Earth."
The above quote describes a book, My Body, My earth, by Dr. Ruby Gibson.
When Victoria Tauli-Corpuz was appointed as UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in May 2014, she was ready to take on the challenge of investigating the plight of the world’s Indigenous Peoples and then making her findings public. After a six year stint as special rapporteur, according to her, the mandate was “an uphill battle.” In this program we hear more from Victoria on her tenure as Special Rapporteur.
Jayd Smith from Eldos FM introduces this program, where presenter Diana Morat interviews operations manager for epidemic preparedness Dawn Kgaje.
This program is produced by Eldos FM, a community radio station in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Music
"Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
Saxaphone by Tyso
Production and editing: Jayd Smith
Voices: Jade Smith, Diana Morat
Image: Mixer at community radio station
Interviewee: Dawn Kgaje
In Asia, the ancestral lands of many Indigenous Peoples have been cut across national borders. Since anti-terror laws and counter insurgency laws were introduced, Indigenous Peoples have been suspected of being insurgents or terrorists, and have been barred from traveling across borders to visit relatives. There should be no borders for Indigenous Peoples as they have existed in those territories long before these nation States came into being.
Governments or states make use of geographical boundaries to demarcate territories. Political entities come to agreements on which area belongs to whom. In some cases, borders are agreed upon by two countries, and in other cases it may have been suggested by a third party like an international conference. In many cases, borders are imposed on places, without taking into consideration the people who live in that area. In this program, we speak to Aslak Holmberg from the Sami Council in Finland, who tells us how borders have affected his life, as well as his environment.
There are many issues that Cultural Survival has covered and fought for as an organization over the past 47 years, and these issues include but are not limited to land rights, Indigenous languages, traditional knowledge, self-determination, freedom of expression and so on. One thing that stands out for our Executive Director Galina Angarova, and is very close to her heart, is the topic of The Sacred Feminine.
Desde las radios comunitarias se producen y trasmiten los conocimientos ancestrales. En este programa podemos conocer sobre la Parteria que aún se sigue practicando en una de las comunidad Indígenas de Ecuador. !Escuche, descargué y comparta!
Imagen:
Capturado por Cultural Survival
Esta es una producción de Radio Cotacachi y distribuido por Cultural Survival. Este programa es gratuito para escuchar, descargar y compartir.
Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity. For Indigenous Peoples in many countries, radio is the most accessible platform to have their say in the languages that they speak and understand. Radio therefore is a fundamental means of communication for Indigenous Peoples to maintain their languages and to exercise and defend their rights. Moreover, radio is a means of ensuring the right to information in all sectors of society.
Radio continues to be the medium of choice for poor and marginalized communities.
Community radios are by the people, for the people and owned by the people. On world radio day, Indigenous Rights Radio celebrates the power of radio.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris
Image: Khwedam Radio Services receiving training
Music: Anania2 by The Baba Project, used with permission.
Indigenous Rights Radio Intro track features "Burn your Village to the Ground" by @a-tribe-called-red. Used with permission.
This interview is part of a multi radio project with three radio stations in South Africa. Jayd Smith interviews the Namibian organizers of the Nama Festival, and annual celebration that takes place in Keetmanshoop, South Africa.
The organizers of the festival were recently in South Africa, where a video of them singing in Khoekhoegowab has surfaced and was quite popular among the locals.
Jayd Smith from Eldos FM in Johannesburg interviewed Macci Eigus, Dawid Eigub en Dirk Eigub.
What is the state of education among Indigenous Peoples? Khoe language activist Denver Breda gives us an in-depth understanding of the situation in South Africa in particular with regard to Indigenous peoples as well as people with slave ancestry.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris
Interviewee: Denver Breda
Image: Denver Breda
Music: Anania2 by The Baba Project, used with permission
Indigenous Rights Radio Intro track features "Burn your Village to the Ground" by @a-tribe-called-red. Used with permission.
Shannon Foster is a Sydney D'harawal Knowledge Keeper, educator, and artist. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with the Center for the Advancement of Indigenous Knowledges at the University of Technology in Sydney. Drawing on traditional knowledge, Indigenous leaders have advocated for changes to current land management practices for decades to help limit anticipated future fire damage. Aboriginal people have a deep knowledge of their lands, and traditional burning practices can help prevent massive destruction.
Leaders and activists from all over the planet converged in Madrid, Spain to attend COP25, The United Nations Climate Change Conference.
At the forefront of half a million protesters who marched through the Spanish Capital City, were indigenous voices who led the charge in what has become a monumental demonstration to highlight the global challenges that we’re all facing as a result of climate change.
Ta’kaiya Blaney (Tla A'min Nation) from Indigenous Climate Action was there, and we got a chance to speak to her.
In South Africa, in November 2019, a small but significant victory has been achieved when a benefit sharing agreement was reached with the Indigenous People of South Africa. The Khoi and San people will now benefit from the multi-million rand Rooibos tea and Honeybush industries.
Only 2% of the farmers who grow the tea are from Indigenous communities.
National KhoiSan Council chairman Cecil LeFleur talks to Indigenous Rights Radio.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris
Image: Tea
Music: Yarina, Lights in the Forrest, used with permission.
World Toilet Day is a day that is commemorated annually on November 19th, to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
The aim of this particular commemoration is to deliver on Sustainable Goal 6, which promises clean water adequate sanitation for all, by the year 2030.
Indigenous peoples are among the most marginalized people in the world. In this program we will speak to indigenous folks, to find out about their water and sanitation situation.
Luiz Henrique Eloy Amado is an Indigenous attorney from the Terena Peoples’ village of Ipegue, Brazil. Eloy Terena, as he is commonly known, has first-hand knowledge on the situation of Indigenous Peoples in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and an extensive experience on defending criminalized Indigenous grass-root leaders and representing Indigenous communities in land rights cases before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court.
Hunger and obesity often co-exists in countries where a home cooked meal is far more difficult to attain than fast food, processed food and foods that are high in sugar. In line with the 2030 sustainable development Agenda, the theme for 2019's World Food Day is Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger world.In this program, we will talk to Indigenous people, to see how they contribute to Sustainable Development goal number two, which talks about ending hunger and achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
October 16th is World Food Day. On this day, millions of people globally gather at demonstrations and exhibitions to observe World Food Day. Initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, world food day is one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. More than a casual series of festivals, World Food Day is organized to bring awareness about food systems, food production and distribution. Presently, following the UN’s call for action under the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is undertaking a global campaign to build a zero hunger society.
Cultural Survival's Avexnim Cojti (Maya Ki'che) spoke to Janene Yazzie about the participation of Indigenous Peoples at the UN's Climate Action Summit.
Janene Yazzie (Navajo) is Development Program Coordinator for International Indian Treaty Council and the council’s representative as co-convenor of the Indigenous Peoples Major Group of the U.N. High-level Political Forum on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Production: Shaldon Ferris (San, South Africa)
Image: Janine Yazzie
Galina Angarova is a representative of the Buryat people, a Russian Indigenous group. Galina holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico. She served on the board of International Funders for Indigenous Peoples for seven years. Please join us in welcoming Galina. She will commence her role on October 1st, 2019.
PRODUCTION
Shaldon Ferris
Interviewee: Galina Angarova
Image: Galina Angarova
Music: Canmandalla by Yarina, used with permission.
We are living in a time of crisis. Scientists, farmers, Indigenous Peoples and even the United Nations all agree that humanity’s impact on the world’s ecosystems and natural resources has brought us to a turning point. If there is no intervention, the planet faces the mass extinction of up to 1 million plant and animal species due to pollution, habitat loss, and climate change.
How important is it that traditional knowledge is protected, and also passed on from one generation to the next.
How important is it that TK is passed down in the language from which that knowledge originates?
Cultural Survival’s Dev Kumar Sunuwar met Elifuraha Laltaika, a member of the UN Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Every year on June 26th, The International Day in Support of Victims against Torture is held, in an effort to speak out against the act of torture.
In this program we interview Martinus Fredericks and ask him about the long term consequences of torture. Mr Fredericks is from Namibia, his family members in the early 1900's were victims of torture.
The 18th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on the rights of Indigenous Peoples was held from April 22nd to May 3rd 2019. The theme for this year was Traditional Knowledge: Generation, Transmission and Protection.
We got a chance to speak via Skype to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Victoria Tauli Corpuz, on the meaning behind this particular theme and why it was chosen.
MUSIC
Lights in the Forest by Yarina.
Used with permission.
In 2018 and 2019, there has been an increase in suicides amongst Indigenous Peoples, specifically in Australia. Why is this happening at such an alarming rate? What is the cause of these deaths, especially among the youth.
Producer : Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan, South Africa)
Interviewee: Pat Dudgeon, Australia
Picture: An Indigenous Australian Man chats on his cellphone, courtesy of Cultural Survival
Music: Lights in the Forest by Yarina, used with permission.
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is the UN’s central body dedicated to all matters relating to the rights of the approximately 370 million Indigenous Peoples around the World.
In 2019, The 18th session of the Forum in New York will highlight the year that has been declared the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
Cultural Survival's Avexnim Cojti spoke to Richard Grounds from the Yuchi Nation, who tells us how this commemoration came about.
The 18th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is scheduled to run from 22 of April until 3 May 2019.
The theme for this year is Traditional knowledge: Generation, transmission and protection.
This program is about the the importance of Indigenous languages in the digital era.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris (KhoiSan, South Africa)
Sound Clip: Alili Kiskitalo (Sami), Co-chair of IYIL steering committee.
Music : Whispers, by Ziibiwan, used with permission.
Indigenous women represent one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in the world. For centuries, Indigenous Women have been subjected to relentless discrimination and different types of violence based on gender, indigeneity, and class. They are deprived from even basic human rights such as access to health services, education and employment. This Indigenous Rights Radio program depicts Indigenous Women and access to quality health services.
Producer : Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Bia'ni Madsa' Juárez López
Every year on the 7th of April, World Health Day, a day championed by the World Health Organisation, is commemorated internationally.
The day was conceived in 1948, and the first annual WHD was celebrated in 1950 – In support of drawing attention to WHO, the world health organisation.
In this program, we interview Connie Hang, Youth Coordinator of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation.
In March we commemorate two very important international days, Zero Discrimination Day on March 1st, as well International Women's day on March 8th.
How are Indigenous Peoples discriminated against, and furthermore, how are Indigenous Women discriminated against?
In this program we pay homage to Xoroxloo Duxee, an Indigenous Woman from Botswana who died from starvation and dehydration because access to a water well in the desert had been restricted.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris (KhoiSan, South Africa)
Interviewee: //Uruseb, researcher on Indigenous Peoples.
Recognizing community radio's role of keeping grassroots communities informed, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), proclaimed February 13th as World Radio Day. There is no doubt that radio is a powerful communication tool and a low cost medium suited not only to reach illiterate, remote communities and vulnerable groups, but also has a stronger and more specific role especially for delivering emergency and disaster relief communication.
It is world radio on February 13th, a day and according to the website diamundialradio.org, this is a day to celebrate radio as a medium, to improve international cooperation between broadcasters and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves. We Interview the Programs Manager of X-K FM, a radio station set up specifically to broadcast in the !Xun and Khwe indigenous languages of Namibia/Angola/South Africa.
The world will indeed be a poorer place without the languages and cultures of Indigenous Peoples.
So it is necessary to celebrate and promote Indigenous Languages, thereby improving the lives of the peoples who speak the languages.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris (KhoiSan, South Africa)
Interview: Kaimana Barcase, Hawaii and Denver Breda, South Africa.
Music : Whispers by Ziibiwan, used with permission.
Picture: A man plays a Khwe finger piano, West Caprivi Strip. Photo by Julie Taylor 2007, Courtesy of Cultural Survival
December 10, 2018, Human Rights Day, marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being -- regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language or other status.
On the 1st of December, every year, the international community observes a day that is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic.
As of November 2017, an estimated 36.7 million people worldwide are living with HIV, making it one of the most important global health issues.
This program looks at how HIV AIDS affects the International Indigenous community.
MUSIC
Sami Drum by Tyler. Used with permission.
Introduction: "Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa was the scene of protest action put together by Khoi and San groups from South Africa. Echoes of the struggle song, “What have we done”, which is reminiscent of apartheid South Africa, could be heard in Maude Street Sandton, where the Stock Exchange is situated, the richest square mile in Africa.
Maasai are semi-nomadic pastoralists who migrate within semi-arid lowlands and more humid uplands to obtain water and pasture. The large majority of them obtain their livelihood through husbandry of cattle, goat and sheep. Their food culture is very unique as they rely on meat, milk and blood from cattle for protein and energy needs. But lately with the gradual loss of elder members of the Maasai community who carry most of this people’s indigenous knowledge, Maasai indigenous communities are losing their customary practices.
Dev Kumar Sunuwar interviews Dr. Phrang Roy, Khasi indigenous and biodiversity activist, from Shillong, North-East India, on food security among Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous peoples' day is about honoring indigenous resistance, and celebrating the contributions of indigenous peoples all over the world. In this newsletter we celebrate the activism of Antie Pua Case from Hawaii, and other activists around the world who fight to preserve our mountains, our rivers, our valleys, our Earth. The program ends with a song by Taino artist Brothery Mikey, who produced a song called "Like the Mauna", inspired by the Indigenous People of Hawaii's efforts to protect the sacred Mauna.
Bartolina Sisa was killed in Bolivia in 1782. International Indigenous Women's Day is held each year on 5th September. Although women fight for their rights and the rights of their people, not enough recognition is given to the efforts of women.
Migrant families from Central America and elsewhere have had to endure being separated. Foster homes and shelters has become the temporary home to many of the kids, some of them being toddlers. Bureaucratic errors could leave the government officials unaware that a child’s parent is in the U.S. What happens when the parents cannot speak English or Spanish?
Resources
Indigenous Rights Radio Program on a case where the Newar indigenous community in Nepal obtained a victory in their legal battle against the government after about 7 years of continuous struggle.
Interviewees: Advocate Shankar Limbu
Music: Remember your children: by Solidummay.
Introductory Music: "Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, conducted an official visit to Guatemala, a country where 61 to 65% of population identify as Indigenous. Shaldon Ferris interviewed her about her visit.
MUSIC
"Whispers" by Ziibiwan. Used with permission.
Indigenous Rights Radio Intro track features "Burn your Village to the Ground" by @a-tribe-called-red. Used with permission.
Indigenous Peoples from around the world represent a disproportionate number of refugees and internally displaced persons due to a number of reasons, including conflict. They are one of the main targets of violence, displacing them from their ancestral land and territories. Vulnerability to displacement as an intersectional issue is often overlooked, a situation that has further increased the vulnerability of these populations. This radio program recounts the experience of Nwe Oo, an Indigenous Rakhine refugee who is currently taking shelter in California, United States.
West Papua is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly known as Dutch New Guinea. A 13-year dispute with the Netherlands over whether the former Dutch colony would become an independent state or an Indonesian province culminated in 1962 in its annexation by force by the Indonesian military and the denial of the right of self-determination to its people, who today identify as over 50% Indigenous West Papuan. Our producers interviewed John Anari and Les Malazer for the latest information on the process of recognition of sovereignty for Indigenous West Papuan communities.
Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to the crime of human trafficking due to the systematic denial of health and wellness resources to which they are subjected. In this program, we focus on the Navajo Nation's response to increased rates of trafficking linked to mining/oil development, and the legal response the Navajo government has implemented to alleviate the harm caused by trafficking, which disproportionately affects Indigenous women and girls.
Between 1904 and 2004, the German state officially denied that genocide against the Indigenous Herero and Nama people in land that is now known as Namibia had ever occurred under German colonial rule, despite conclusive historical sources and internationally recognized investigations. Hear how communities are sorting through the painful legacy of this violence and indifference in the present in the following interview with Martinus Fredericks, Nama leader and activist.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, visited several states in Mexico to report on progress made in areas of Indigenous rights since her predecessor's trip to the country in 2003. Though the Mexican government has not fulfilled the majority of recommendations made by the former UNSR, Tauli-Corpuz notes the empowerment of autonomous municipalities since 2003 as an improvement over previous years.
The reduction in size of the Bears Ears National Monument by the Trump Administration runs contrary to the principles established in Article 26 of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We spoke to Braidan Weeks, the Communications Coordinator for Utah Diné Bikéyah, about the importance of Bears Ears, the unlawfulness of the actions taken by the Trump administration, and the advocacy currently underway to defend the monument led by the Tribes of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
Indigenous South Africans go on a yearly 400 mile pilgrimage to bring awareness to ongoing violations of basic human rights of South Africans, the withholding of remains and sacred items belonging to Indigenous communities by museums, as well as to reconnect to the earth and environment through the rigorous journey from coast to coast. We spoke to two South African Indigenous rights activists to hear their takes on how this tradition has shaped their activism.
Peter Buffett is a Co-President of the NoVo Foundation, which works to foster a transformation from a world of domination and exploitation to one of collaboration and partnership. As part of this work, NoVo supports work in Indigenous communities across North America, including community-led programs that center Indigenous girls and women. Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa) is a leader in U.S. Indigenous rights advocacy, and serves as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival.
It was the Wampanoag People, the people of the first light, that encountered the Pilgrims when they arrived to Turtle Island (North America) from Europe in 1620. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States, mythologizing the violent events that followed European arrival into a story of friendship and mutual sharing. But the reality is that the Wampanoags’ generosity was met with genocide, and this truth has been systematically suppressed in the US education system, government, and popular culture.
Though collaboration is crucial to finding solutions for climate change, Indigenous People must be able to maintain, protect, and control their cultural heritage, sciences, and technologies. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides a legal framework for intellectual ownership by Indigenous communities of their traditional knowledge. However, many additional cultural barriers to equal-footed climate change collaboration exist, such as the automatic devaluation of Indigenous science by Western science practitioners.
A close relationship with local environments and ecosystems is more critical than ever in the face of a rapidly changing climate. This program features two perspectives from Indigenous communities that are practicing resiliency to global warming by adapting their traditional knowledge and science to put a changing climate into the context of their communities' history and lifeways.
INTERVIEWEES
Elizabeth Azzuz (Yurok), Cultural Fire Management Council
Jannie Staffansson (Saami), Arctic and Environment Unit of the Saami Council
Indigenous communities in Honduras have stewarded the Muskitia, a rain forest which includes one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity in the world, for centuries. Osvaldo Munguia is a representative of MOPAWI, an organization that partners with Indigenous groups to protect this UNESCO world heritage site from being overtaken by logging, mining, and forestry business interests.
MUSIC
"Remember Your Children," by Salidummay. Used with permission.
Introduction: "Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
What can Western science learn from Indigenous knowledge? We speak with Dr. Daniel Wildcat (Yuchi) and Tui Shortland (Maori) about the value of Indigenous longitudinal place-based knowledge that Indigenous People have gathered over millennia. We unpack what positive collaboration between Western science and Indigenous science can look like and why it is important.
Credits:
Background music:
"Atahualpa" and "Lights in the forest" by Yarina. Used with permission.
Can traditional knowledge from Indigenous communities provide us with answers to fighting climate change? We speak with Andrea Carmen (Yaqui), Executive Director of International Indian Treaty Council. She speaks about how Indigenous women are very strong voices in the work for the protection of the environment, through their role as food producers, knowledge holders, and the first teachers of children.
In Mbororo communities in Chad, Indigenous women are the most affected by climate change because they are the ones collecting food, water, and traditional medicines for their families. Changes to their environment have cause increased hardship on the Mbororo who are pastoralist cattle headers, as they are forced to move more frequently to cope with increasing drought conditions.
What is the role of Indigenous Peoples in the current climate crisis? What responsibility do Indigenous Peoples feel towards Mother Earth today? Listen to three Indigenous women leaders give their perspectives on their feeling of the interconnection between all living things and our planet in the face of climate change, and what they feel should be done with that knowledge.
Lakes and forests in the Mt. Talinis area of the Phillipines are under threat from recent expansions of the energy industry. Apolinario Carino is working with the organization PENAGMANNAK, a federation of 17 Indigenous Peoples’ community groups, to pioneer community management strategies of reforestation designed to empower the Indigenous groups to shape the future of their lands. Apolinario hopes to share the knowledge that they have gained from these experiences in order to better combat climate change on a global scale.
Ivy Gordon, Director of the Jeffrey Town Farmers Association, describes how her organization has worked for the past 25 years to combine sustainable living practices with community infrastructure needs. Jeffrey Town is now a prominent example in Jamaica of a highly resilient community, due to its adaptable and sustainable resources.
MUSIC
"Remember Your Children," by Salidummay. Used with permission.
Introduction: "Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
PRODUCTION
Dev Kumar Sunuwar, Indigenous Rights Radio
Indigenous communities often hold invaluable knowledge about medicinal plants and healing practices rooted in the environment and resources of their traditional homelands. Anoop Pushkaran Krishnamma is working with the Kerala Kani Community Welfare Trust in partnership with Indigenous communities in India to record and preserve this knowledge, allowing for healing practices to be utilized by future generations.
Ezekiel Tye Freeman is the executive director of Green-PRO, which helps Liberian communities develop sustainable livelihoods for self-reliance. Beekeeping training programs, for example, offer a lucrative and environmentally friendly economic alternative to mining or slash-and-burn farming for individuals. Freeman points to high levels of unemployment among Liberia's Indigenous population as a major problem that his organization wants to attempt to alleviate.
George ‘Bic’ Manahira describes how his community established the
world's first community-run octopus, sea grass, and mangrove reserve in partnership with Blue Ventures, a UK-based NGO, in order to strengthen the traditional sea-resource-based livelihood of the coastal Indigenous communities in Madagascar. They hope to expand and improve on the model in collaboration with other Indigenous groups and leaders in the coming years.
The Kalinga Mission for Indigenous Children and Youth, led by Donato Bumacas, promotes values of biodiversity conservation, with the goal of poverty reduction. These values are upheld using Indigenous traditional knowledge systems andd technologies to conserve and maintain the local forests. Sustainable Indigenous agricultural technology is implemented, with the goal of passing these systems down to future generations, as this knowledge was passed down to them.
In many Indigenous communities, dual justice systems operate in tandem: the European system, a colonial imposition characterized by hierarchical, punitive, written codicies, and the Indigenous system, which is often based in tradition and holistic in nature.
Human Rights Lawyer Michelle Cook (Dine') elaborates on the interactions between these two systems, and explains how communities can use the language of human rights to challenge the colonial legal system imposition in order to gain a seat at the table as independent nations with internationally recognized justice systems.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, says she has found an inadequate process of consultation with Indigenous communities on the part of the national government during her visit to Honduras, where she was recently invited for a working visit to comment on a draft of a law regulating Free, Prior and Informed Consent. Indigenous Hondurans do not feel that they were adequately consulted on the content of the law. Further, the law does not meet widely accepted international standards of F.P.I.C.
HIV advocate Marama Mullen (Ngatiawa Māori), Executive Director of INA, the Maori, Indigenous, and South Pacific HIV/AIDS Foundation, discusses the HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness network that her organization has fostered among Indigenous communities in the South Pacific.
MUSIC
Song: "Atahualpa" by Yarina. Used with permission.
Introduction: "Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, discusses with IRR Producer Shaldon Ferris the high rate of imprisonment of Australian Aboriginal individuals that she observed in her official visit to Australia. Disproportionate criminalization of Aboriginal people is evidence of systemic, structural inequality in Australia.
MUSIC
Song: "YAWLICHALLAY" by Luis Cisneros. Used with permission.
Shaldon Ferris (KhoiSan) reflects with Dr. Wilton Littlechild, Grand Chief for Treaty Six First Nations, on the first 10 years of progress and setbacks in implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Avexnim Cojti (Maya K'iche') highlights the difference between consent and consultation with the help of Joan Carling, longtime advocate for Indigenous rights and former expert member to the UNPFII, in the context of decisions made by Indigenous communities regarding resource and land management. Joan explains that consent (or refusal of consent) is given at the conclusion of a process of consultation. Consultation, defined as an open, collective deliberation, is a crucial precursor to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2017, 16th Session
Week 1
Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Kumar/Sunuwar) asks Joan Carling, longtime advocate for Indigenous rights and former expert member to the UNPFII, how she assesses the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Asia.
MUSIC
"Remember Your Children," by Salidummay
Music from a seashell, recorded at the opening ceremony of the 16th UNPFII
Indigenous solidarity has coalesced into a powerful movement thanks to the activism and perseverance of Indigenous leaders from communities around the world. Indigenous leaders that are defending land, language, culture, and the environment face acute persecution, both from governments directly and from extrajudicial actors.
Indigenous Rights Radio Producer Shaldon Ferris interviews Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, about the Dakota Access Pipeline. Vicky describes the central tensions underlying the current conflict, and details the opportunities for recourse available to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe through both local and international governing bodies.
Credits:
Interview with Vicky Tauli-Corpuz
Production by Shaldon Ferris
We're here in New York City at the People's Climate March, marching alongside Indigenous communities from all over the world who have joined together to demand action towards solutions for climate change. Here are some words from Winona LaDuke, a long time leader of the Native environmental movement in the United States.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz (Igorot Kankanaey, Philippines), a long-time activist and UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, shares her experience with successes of small, local groups reaching out to the international community to collaborate in better defending their rights. She explains how her experience as a nurse led to community engagement, which quickly turned into a passion for advocating for the needs of community members as an activist.
This program is dedicated to Joan Carling, an activist from the Kankanaey people of the Philippines. She has served as an Expert Member on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues during 2014 and 2016, and as the Secretary General of the Asia Indigenous Pact. In this interview, she explains the benefits of the participation of Indigenous Peoples in local and global decision-making, which would bring a diversity of perspective and solutions to pressing issues.
Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard (Anishinaabe, Canada) explains how the concerns that have been labeled as “women’s issues” are in fact central to the progress of Indigenous rights. Often, concerns such as domestic abuse, schooling, and healthcare are often sidelined in favor of focusing on issues that are seen as more universal. Dr. Lavell-Harvard places them at the center of her activism efforts, showing that there is no need to compromise or postpone the rights of Indigenous women in Indigenous movements globally.
Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough (Innuit, Alaska, USA) discusses her early engagement in the politics of Indigenous Peoples land rights, and shares her insight into why the defense of land merits extra international legal attention. She urges leaders to have optimism, and take “the long view” approach to making progress in the protection of Indigenous rights.
Avexnim Cotji brings us interviews from a preparatory meeting in Guatemala in April of 2016 for members of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. At the meeting, they discussed local media as a crucial element of cultural preservation and the protection of Indigenous community rights.
Kaimana Barcarse interviews Perty Maguru from Nepal about the unique dual identity that Indigenous Peoples with disabilities occupy. She hopes to help bring a voice to this community. Recorded at the 2015 UNPFII.
Kaimana Barcarse interviews Setareki Macanawai from Fiji. They discuss how the Disability Caucus hopes to extend its presence to regions and communities, in order to grow the network of Indigenous Peoples with disabilities. Recorded at the 2015 UNPFII.
Kaimana Barcarse interviews Doreen Demas of the Dakota Peoples in Canada about the focus, message, and goals of the Disability Caucus at the UNPFII. She discusses the growing impact and voice of the Indigenous with Disabilities activist community. Recorded at the 2015 UNPFII.
Kaimana Barcarse interviews Menase Ntutu from the Maasai nation about the concerns of Indigenous Peoples living with disabilities, and how communities can collaborate to support the work of the Disability Caucus. Recorded at the 2015 UNPFII.
Dayamani Barla, Indigenous tribal journalist and activist from Jharkland, India, discusses how Indigenous Peoples have been displaced from their traditional farming lands in the name of dams, mining and other development projects.
Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.
Terra Madre means "Mother Earth" in Latin. The theme of the Indigenous Terra Madre conference was to celebrate the bio and cultural diversity that is the asset of Indigenous communities. The aim of this gathering is to share ideas, to come together, and be inspired or be warned, and to make people aware that our local food systems. It also seeks to build awareness that "the way we cooked in the past, and the wild plants around us are more important for our health than all the medicines we take.
The Slow Food movement was founded in Italy in 1986 to promote an alternative to fast food.
Analee Johnson, Sami, of Sweden, says that the Slow Food movement believes that the food we produce should be good, clean, and fair. She gives an example of marketing Sami traditional food of Reindeer meat.
Bibhudutta Sahu, of the North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society explains that local food is always the best, because mother nature has been kind enough to provide us what we need.
Interviewees discusses the main challenges to food security for a rising global population. Dhrupad Choudhury of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, argues that Indigenous farmers are doing important work to tackle challenges the world is facing today due to climate change. Indigenous farmers have the building blocks of stress tolerant crops, as well as sustainable agricultural practices because they are dependent only on the resources available to them.
Dr. Winona LaDuke describes her practices experimenting with various types of maize.
Participants discuss what food sovereignty means for Indigenous Peoples. Speakers include Native American activist, and author Dr. Winona Laduke, and Dr. Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend, Global Coordinator of the ICCA Consortium, and David Strelneck, Senior Advisor at Ashoka Foundation.
Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.
Researcher Elizabeth Hacker describes research about how Indigenous individuals create their own frameworks to define "well-being" to counter Western ideas of well-being. She found three important concepts for Indigenous well being are, Meeting basic material needs; social harmony and sense of belonging; and cultural identity. Dev and Elizabeth discuss examples from her research in India and Kenya.
Dr. Daphne Miller from the University of California tells us that Indigenous Peoples who eat diets of their ancestors are immune to many chronic diseases. Foods that were traditionally grown together are also in compliment in our body and give us whole proteins. Indigenous diets are also suited to local environments: farmers farm in a cycle, use different kinds of seeds, conserve water, engaging practices that are not only sustainable and organic, but also regenerative.
Rena Avetisyan discusses the challenges facing the people of Western Armenia, which is dealing with territorial issues with Turkey, as they move forward in trying to secure their rights to promote their culture, establish more schools and other things they are guaranteed by the UNDRIP.
Ben Sherman, of the Lakota Nation, discusses his work with the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance and his hopes to reach and engage more people through his organization, as well as the challenges facing the organization as it spreads to other parts of the world.
Nina Cass, of New South Wales, Australia, discusses her work with Madala, a youth organization that helps Indigenous young people go to school as well as the issues facing the Indigenous Peoples in Australia such as the promotion of culture, relocation, discrimination, suicide, etc. and how she can help in her role.
Les Malezer, of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, discusses the origins and goals of the expert mechanism and it's importance to the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world.
Albert Deterville, Expert Mechanism representative of Latin American and the Caribbean, discusses the Expert Mechanism, as created by the UN, on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the process in which they aid the monitoring of rights in regions around the world.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about successes at the 2015 UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues, including the new participation on Indigenous Peoples of Japan and Taiwan in the conferences.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about successes at the 2015 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Communities in the Pacific region have united over common issues, different groups have made efforts to align as Indigenous Peoples as a body in international conferences, and Indigenous Peoples were represented in a major climate change conference.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about her favorite interventions in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She believes the interventions regarding climate change have been very important in her community and across the world.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about deep sea bed mining and its impacts on the environment, especially in Oceania and Indigenous communities, including her native New Zealand.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about consumerism in the modern world and our responsibility to care for the earth, and gives advice about how we can enact chance for future generations.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about Indigenous Peoples' power in numbers to fight back against companies trying to defy their rights and occupy their lands.
Lemoine LaPointe, a Lakota of South Dakota and Minnesota, speaks about community conversations and their importance in providing support for Indigenous Peoples and their relationship with the surrounding region both in the present and in the future. We met up with Lemoine at the UNPFII 2015.
Josh Cooper speaks about the importance of the Universal Periodic Review in securing Indigenous rights. Governments can propose recommendations on behalf on Indigenous Peoples in the Universal Periodic Review process.
Kealii Gora of Hawaii gives advice on how to get involved in advocating for Indigenous rights. Gora believes it is important to get Indigenous voices on the record and present concerns and perspectives in international arenas to make a change.
Christopher Kuaiwa of Hawaii speaks about the destruction of a sacred mountain in his community and wants to spread his message of advocacy for Indigenous Rights throughout the world. He also participated in an intervention and proposed recommendations in the Permanent Forum regarding the 30-meter telescope that is proposed to be built on the sacred mountain calling to halt construction and divest.
Josh Cooper speaks about climate change and its impact on Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples are being impacted by climate change, specifically in Oceania, and Josh Cooper is working to create World Climate Justice Day to bring further awareness to the issue.
Cristina Coc, a Q'eqchi Maya woman of southern Belize, shares how Mayan groups in Belize have been fighting for their rights for over 30 years. After many meetings with the State, the Belize national court has acknowledged legal Indigenous rights to their land and affirmed that the government may not use, destruct, or occupy Indigenous land.
Chief Bellegarde speaks at UNFPII to bring to light the gap between Canada and its Indigenous Peoples in regard to the United Nations Human Development Index and the rights of indigenous peoples in Canada. Belgard works to close the gap between the wealth of Canada as a nation and Canada's indigenous peoples. He calls on Canada to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Nancy Bordeaux (Sicangu Lakota) from South Dakota shares her work in domestic violence and sexual assault and gives advice on how to make a change. She speaks about historical trauma and its effects on Native American peoples today. Nancy works with women who are victims of domestic violence and human trafficking and hopes to lessen the economic and mental health disparities in Indigenous women. We caught up with Nancy at the UNPFII 2015.
Statement from Special Rapporteur Vicky Tauli-Corpuz on the sustainable development goals proposed by the United Nations and how Indigenous Peoples' rights must be respected in order to solve climate issues such as deforestation.
Interview at the United Nations Permament Forum on Indigenous Peoples, May 2015 in New York. Listen to a members of the Indigenous Peoples Global Network speak about how they want to be included as Indigenous Peoples with Disabilities in the broader movement.
Mililani Trask frankly states that there is not much work which can be done in the 2 days of discussions which make up the WCIP. She is not surprised by the lack of funding and the limitations on which issues can be discussed, but describes the resulting meeting as a betrayal because the WCIP was meant to bring people together to discuss many issues facing Indigenous Peoples and address how to move forward.
The declaration is not a legally binding document but rather a commitment in good faith from Member States of the UN. Les Malazer thinks this is the highest level of commitment Indigenous Peoples will be able to gain from States.
In terms of the next steps for Indigenous Peoples, Les Malazer highlights that the outcome document contains many actions which are easy to look at and discuss how they might be implemented.
Les Malazer describes how the outcome document from the WCIP sets out actions to be taken by the United Nations and Member States, always with the involvement and the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples. He encourages Indigenous groups to see how they can engage with States using this document.
“Nothing about us without us.” Les Malazer talks about how this meeting clearly demonstrated that Indigenous groups can work well with States. Although, he was disappointed with the fact that the drafting of the document continued into the States-only process.
Over 400 Indigenous Peoples came together in Alta, Norway to draft a document which was given to the United Nations. This document was heavily relied on in the negotiations and formed the basis of the outcome document from the WCIP.
Les Malazer, the Indigenous Co-advisor to the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September 2015 discusses the preparation in the run up to the WCIP.
Mililani Trask talks about the importance of cross-cultural support between Indigenous groups and how Indigenous women have been key to bringing this about.
The Outcome document will be open to interpretation and its success will depend on how individual states interpret the document and whether this is in line with Indigenous Peoples and civil society groups.
Mililani Trask frankly states that there is not much work which can be done in the 2 days of discussions which make up the WCIP. She is not surprised by the lack of funding and the limitations on which issues can be discussed, but describes the resulting meeting as a betrayal because the WCIP was meant to bring people together to discuss many issues facing Indigenous Peoples and address how to move forward.
Alexey Tsykarev discusses the situation in Russia for Indigenous Peoples. Even though Russia abstained from voting for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, many of the articles in the Declaration exist in Russian legislation, however, the implementation at the federal, regional and local level is still a problem.
Alexey Tsykarev talks about the negotiations leading to the Outcome Document and how 3 months was not long enough and they should have been at least a year long.
Alexey Tsykarev is disappointed with the outcome document and expected that it would be on the same level at least, as the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
John Scott highlights the importance of using processes established by Indigenous communities when gaining free, prior and informed consent for activities which will take place on their lands. He also talks about the importance of including traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples at the UN Permanent Forum.
Dalee Sambo discusses the exchange between the Brazilian government's representative and representatives of Brazil’s Indigenous tribes at the UNPFII 2015. Violations of Land Rights continue in Brazil, including the criminalization of Indigenous Peoples who are trying to defend their rights to land.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz talks about her visit to Paraguay in her capacity as UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. She discusses the process and the preparation of these visits, highlighting the need for autonomy and security for the people she talks with.
It is an opportunity to meet with Indigenous communities, civil society organisations, government ministers and the private sector and encourage dialogue across society.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz talks about the importance of Indigenous Peoples using the range of international instruments and mechanisms in place, to pressure their governments to implement changes.
Julian Kunnie reflects on how our ways are destroying life for future generations and on the need to honor and protect mother nature instead of turning her into a commodity.
Bestang Dekdeken discusses the problems with FPIC as it is currently enforced in the Philippines, for example, how mining coorporations and extractive industries are able to find loopholes in FPIC in order to carry out their projects.
Bestang Dekdeken discusses the work of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance and their struggle in the Philippines Cordillera region to defend their land against the government and mining corporations.
Antonio Gonzales, director of the American Indian Movement AIM West, explains why the use of Indigneous Peoples as mascots is culturally offensive and can no longer be tolerated in the 21st century. We caught up with Antonio Gonzales at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples Issues, New York.
Antonio Gonzales explains how without proper enforcement governments, cooperations, and extractive industries willingly ignore frameworks like FPIC which are designed to protect the rights of indigneous peoples.
Antonio Gonzales has spent many years working with international forums for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. He has witnessed achievements but draws attention to the fact that indigenous communities across the world are struggling to bring their governments to the table for discussion. He is currently advocating for an International Convention.
Indigenous leader and Chairperson of the Cordillera Peoples' Alliance of the Philippines gives his perspective on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. "The bottom line in advancing the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights is fighting for these rights right in our own territories and communities."
Indigenous leader and Chairperson of the Cordillera Peoples' Alliance of the Philippines shares expectations of the Climate March and its importance to Indigenous Peoples. "In resolving climate change, Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous Peoples' participation is fundamental."
These indigenous youth leaders from around the world say that everyone has some form of indigenous roots, and if those roots are disconnected, one must communicate with indigenous persons directly in order to begin to understand them. Indigenous people around the world share many common struggles but continue to fight for their rights.
Indigenous youth leaders from around the world send messages to their elders, stating that the messages passed on to them from their elders affects them greatly.
Native Seneca woman Agnes Williams notices the consequences of climate change and contamination in her community. Changes in temperature have caused the plant-growing season to be shorter, and a nuclear waste plant has leaked into creeks near her reservation. Seneca people and indigenous communities near Williams have been protesting and working to clean up the area.
These Indigenous youth leaders voice the importance of continuing the fight for Indigenous rights and how it is vital for indigenous persons to understand and embrace the roots of their community.
Jinumu, an Indigenous woman from Taiwan, uses the World Conference of Indigenous Women as an opportunity to learn more about the rights of women since indigenous rights and women’s rights are not topics that are often discussed in her home country.
From the Saami community in Norway, Gudrun E E Lindi believes that by collaborating with women from other indigenous communities, she can make a global impact and create positive change.
Maylei Blackwell - Cherokee and Thai from California, USA
Maylei Blackwell works with Indigenous migrants from Mexico who live in the Los Angeles area. Blackwell states that being fixated on geographic boundaries only inhibits one from seeing immigrants as our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
Lisa Paloma Abregu Arroyo, a Quechua woman, came to the World Conference of Indigenous Women looking to connect with indigenous representatives from around the world who are working on cultural conservation and defending indigenous rights. For Arroyo and her community, these efforts are both important and encouraging.
When Indigenous women like Raffaella Bulyaar of the Maasai people are able to attend global conferences, they are able to bring useful information back to their people in order to further discuss and learn ways to grow as a community and defend their human rights.
Andrea Landry, Anishinabek from the traditional territory of the Ashinaabe people, voices the importance of straying away from relying on the federal government to save indigenous communities and instead suggests working as a community toward changes within that community for more productive results. Landry believes confronting and talking about important issues as a community can lead to positive change.
Join Cultural Survival at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, May 2013 as we interview leaders on challenges they have faced while implementing the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent. As we learn about obstacles others have faced, we may better understand how to overcome our own.
Join us at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2013 in New York, as we interview youth leader Ta'Kaiya Blaney of the Sliammon FIrst Nation in British Colombia, Canada, about the right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent.
Join us at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2013 in New York, as we interview youth leader Ta'Kaiya Blaney of the Sliammon FIrst Nation in British Colombia, Canada, about the right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent.
Join us at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2013 in New York, as we interview Maori leader Catherine Davis about the right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent within the context of New Zealand.
Join us at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2013 in New York, as we interview Maori leader Catherine Davis about the right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent in the context of New Zealand.
Join us at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2013 in New York, as we interview leaders about the right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent.
Join Cultural Survival as we interview Dayamani Barla, winner of the 2013 Ellen Lutz award for Indigenous Leadership, as we catch up with her at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, May 2013.