Please Read: We Are Moving

We are moving!!!

Dear readers,

As many of you may know, we have been busy working on migrating Indigenous Peoples Issues Today into our parent site Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources. We are happy to inform you that this migration is almost complete. We believe that this move will not only benefit you in terms of staying on top of indigenous issues, but will also allow us to provide much more. Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources is built on a much more stable, scalable platform that allows us to incorporate more information, maps, videos, and other features. Please have a look: http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com

We will continue to bring you news, articles, book reviews, and our weekly Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues. However, with the new site we will also be able to provide maps that locate each story for better reference, a much more powerful search function, as well as videos, conference announcements, and postings of jobs, funding, and grants.

Sadly, one feature that we cannot transfer is our email alerts. Because we respect your privacy, you must sign up again for email alerts via the new site. They will still be delivered to you every day in the exact same way that you have been used to. Please go to the site now and register to receive email alerts so that you do not miss a thing (registration is on the left hand column).

If you have suggestions for new features or areas of coverage, please feel free to let us know. We are always looking for ways to improve Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources.

We will no longer be posting to this site beginning July 1, 2009.

Thank you and we hope that you migrate over to the new site with us.

Cheers,

Peter N. Jones, Ph.D.
Editor
Indigenous Peoples Issues & Resources

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National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Annual Meeting

On behalf of the board of directors and members of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO), we are honored to invite you to attend and participate in the 11th Annual NATHPO Meeting. For the week of August 10, 2009, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will host our annual meeting, as well as related events and training sessions. The Tribe's Choctaw Casino-Resort-Hotel in Durant, Oklahoma, will be the main meeting location, and they have graciously offered a discounted room rate for NATHPO participants.

This year's meeting theme is, "Tribal Historic Preservation and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)." Job creation and protecting traditional ways of life and sacred sites may at times be at odds in the current economic climate. NATHPO is encouraging tribal representatives and federal and state officials to attend and discuss their experiences, concerns, and practices as the country responds to competing needs. We are currently accepting proposals for presentations and we encourage you to submit ideas and panels that illustrate the needs and concerns for your constituency. In addition to ARRA sessions and speakers, there will be presenters on a variety of other topics, such as current events in tribal historic preservation, tribal museums and cultural centers, tribal consultation, and information and updates on other timely tribal historic preservation issues.

11th Annual NATHPO Meeting Training Session:

One training session will be offered this year and is NAGPRA related, "Using the Culturally Unidentifiable Native American Inventories Database." This important database includes listings and information for over 118,000 individual Native Americans, out of an estimated 100,000-200,000 minimum number of individuals (determined by the Congressional Budget Office when the law was being drafted in 1989). Participants will receive a copy of the database, both CD and hard copy, and will be led in an overview and discussion of the information contained in the database and how to request additional information in an effort to achieve cultural affiliation. This will be the first organized opportunity for tribal representatives to come together to review and discuss the important information contained in the database. Because of the limited number of spaces available for the training, we encourage tribal representatives to register right away.

Other panels and speakers will be announced as confirmed. Please check the NATHPO website www.nathpo.org for more information and Annual Meeting updates. We encourage you to take a moment and read through this year's agenda at a glance and pre-register today. Thank you for your interest and support of NATHPO over the years and we look forward to seeing you in Oklahoma in August.

Reno Franklin, Kashia Pomo THPO and
NATHPO General Chairman

Terry Cole, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma THPO 11th Annual NATHPO Meeting Host

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Linking Indigenous Policy with Service Delivery 2009

Linking Indigenous Policy with Service Delivery 2009 fleshes out the new whole-of-government approach to reduce the gap in indigenous disadvantage in partnership with NGOs and NFPs on both policy and service delivery levels.

Why you need to attend

Through a focus on rights vs responsibility, accountability, and increased engagement and culturally appropriate processes you will take away knowledge on new and successful initiatives and a better understanding of how we can all work together to achieve improved outcomes in rural and remote areas. This conference is specifically designed for representatives from federal, state and local government involved in Indigenous policy design, strategy, service delivery and program management along with those from community organisations.

Closing the Gap in Indigenous Disadvantage

A new government brought a fresh approach and vigour in reducing the disadvantages faced by our Indigenous brothers and sisters. Twelve months on from ‘The Apology’ all eyes are on the progress made with the 6 key targets outlined in the federal government’s ‘Closing the Gap’ Campaign.

Despite an enormous injection of funding into Indigenous housing, health and education, the conversion of new policies into improved service delivery is not as transparent as the Rudd government’s enthusiasm to improve Indigenous circumstances.

For more information, or to register for the conference, go here.

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Slavery Issues Involving Indigenous Peoples In Africa: Call for Papers

Call for presentations, 2010 meeting of Association of American Geographers

Session Title: Geographies of Slavery

Session Organizers: G. Rebecca Dobbs, UNC-Chapel Hill & Derek H. Alderman, East Carolina University

Session Description: The enslavement of people from Africa and those of African descent played a fundamental role in the development of the economy, society, and culture of the United States as well as many other countries. Yet, despite the large volume of research on this topic, there remains much scholarship to be done, particularly from a geographic perspective. We invite participation in a paper session for AAG 2010 exploring geographies of slavery, both inside and outside the American context. Papers might approach the topic from a variety of scales and perspectives, such as, but not limited to, the following:

• geographic variation in the experiences of slavery
  
• landscapes of slavery, the enslaved, and the enslaver
  
• social and spatial legacies and consequences of slavery
  
• slavery in the world-system
  
• slavery as a circum-Atlantic phenomenon
  
• enslavement of (and by) indigenous peoples
  
• slaveholding and the production of white privilege
  
• slaveholding in and out of the U.S. South
  
• slavery and the evolution of race relations
  
• slavery and the politics of national identity
  
• the intersection of slavery and gender
  
• slavery and plantation geographies (past and present)
  
• the political economy of slavery
  
• the question of slavery reparations and social justice
  
• the slave trade and the African diaspora -social and spatial control of the enslaved
• resistance of the enslaved
  
• the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement
  
• religion and slavery
  
• politics/social movements and slavery
  
• cultural geographies of slavery
  
• politics of remembering and commemorating slavery
  
• slave history and the promotion and performance of tourism and many more...

Contact: Rebecca Dobbs grdobbs@email.unc.edu AND Derek Alderman aldermand@ecu.edu

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America's Historical and Cultural Organizations: Planning Grants

America's Historical and Cultural Organizations: Planning Grants

Eligible Applicants

State governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education

Additional Information on Eligibility:

Agency Name

National Endowment for the Humanities

Description

America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations grants support projects in the humanities that explore stories, ideas, and beliefs that deepen our understanding of our lives and our world. The Division of Public Programs supports the development of humanities content and interactivity that excite, inform, and stir thoughtful reflection upon culture, identity, and history in creative and new ways. Grants for America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations should encourage dialogue, discussion, and civic engagement, and they should foster learning among people of all ages. To that end, the Division of Public Programs urges applicants to consider more than one format for presenting humanities ideas to the public. Planning grants are available for projects that may need further development before applying for implementation. This planning can include the identification and refinement of the project’s main humanities ideas and questions, consultation with scholars in order to strengthen the humanities content, preliminary audience evaluation, preliminary design of the proposed interpretive formats, beta testing of digital formats, development of complementary programming, research at archives or sites whose resources might be used, or the drafting of interpretive materials. America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations grants support projects that are presented in these formats: traveling exhibitions that are presented at multiple venues; long-term exhibitions at one institution; interpretive Web sites or other digital formats; interpretation of historic places or areas; reading and discussion programs; panel exhibitions that travel widely, reach a broad audience, and take advantage of complementary programming formats (e.g., reading and discussion series, radio, or other media) to enhance the visitor experience; or other project formats that creatively engage audiences in humanities ideas. Applications that make innovative use of emerging technologies are encouraged. Projects must do more than simply provide a digital archive of material. They should offer new ways of contextualizing and interpreting information that engages public audiences interactively. Applications may, for example, include plans to create PDA tours and resources, podcasts, virtual environments, wiki formats, other formats that utilize user-generated content, virtual imaging, GIS mapping, online scholar-led discussions, streaming video, games, or other digital formats. When it is relevant, applications must explain how user-generated postings to public cyberspace will be vetted by qualified scholars or project staff for accuracy and public educational value. Digital components must rest on sound humanities scholarship and enhance the project’s humanities content for the general public in ways that take unique advantage of the proposed formats.

Link to Full Announcement

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Repatriation, NAGPRA, and The Ongoing Battle Over Cultural Patrimony

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA; 25 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq) has been one of the more controversial laws to be passed in the last quarter century. The principal reason is that NAGPRA is the guiding legislation in the United States for all items of human origin found on federal or state lands, which currently consists of over 650 million acres (around 30% of the United States), all of which fall under the legislative purview of NAGPRA. Although this law was passed in 1990, and the final Rules were established in 1995, a struggle over "who owns the past" has continuously been fought. A recent article published in Indian Country Today illustrates this struggle and how the battle over "who owns the past" continues, a battle that often attempts to deny (or not recognize) Native American history, identity, and affiliation.

What is troubling about this story, and the others you see in the media on an almost monthly basis, is that NAGPRA was supposed to be an example for other countries on how to deal with the massive amount of cultural patrimony and human ancestral remains stored in in museums, collections, and institutions. However, as other countries watch us continuously bicker and fight over "who owns the past", they are less and less likely to enact legislation similar to NAGPRA - legislation that had its heart in the right place. How are other countries to deal with their large holdings of ancestral human remains? How are they going to establish a system of repatriation? It is inevitable that indigenous peoples must fight scientists, museum officials, and others for their cultural patrimony and ancesters?

One of the benefits of NAGPRA was that it not only returned these "living" items back to the people who they belonged to, but it allowed scientists, museum officials, and others to study them in the process. It was supposed to be a sort of win-win for everyone. Study the item, take photos, identify its characteristics, catalog it, and then return it to the people who it belongs to. Instead, NAGPRA often results in the first four of those steps, but fails to act on its final promise - repatriation (obviously, this is a slight characterization as there are hundreds of positive examples that have come about because of NAGPRA, but the point still stands). Again, what are other countries supposed to do now that they have seen how NAGPRA leads to the spending of millions of dollars, power struggles, and divisiveness? What are our options?

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. - A complaint against the University of Massachusetts Amherst, claiming violations of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is under investigation and will be heard at a Review Committee meeting in the fall.

The complaint was filed jointly by Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Cheryl Andrews-Maltais of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Aquinnah; John Brown III of the Narragansett Indian Tribe; and Sherry White of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians in May 2008.

Andrews-Maltais has since been elected chairwoman of her tribe.

Sherry Hutt, NAGPRA program director, confirmed that the complaint is under investigation.

"That matter, to my knowledge, is under investigation so I couldn't comment on it until the investigation is completed."

The complaint will be heard by the NAGPRA Review Committee this fall, said White, who has been coordinating documentation from the three tribes.

"We've been working on this for years, trying to get UMass to repatriate the remains to us. Over the years, as the three tribes started learning what was there (at UMass Amherst) and realizing we were the only federally recognized tribes that could establish cultural affiliation, the three tribes came together and put in a claim for repatriation. Our case will be reviewed in the fall."

The complaint says that UMass Amherst has violated NAGPRA by failing to respond to the tribes' request for repatriation of human remains from the Connecticut River Valley that are in its possession, and failing to consult with the tribes.

The joint complaint also says the university failed to publish a complete inventory of the human remains and other items of cultural patrimony in its possession, and claims the remains from the Connecticut River Valley listed in its partial inventory are "culturally unaffiliated" even while admitting that the three tribes had a historical presence in and historical ties to the area, and that they are the only federally recognized tribes with standing to claim the remains.

You can read the rest of the story on Indian Country Today.

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EIRIS Issues Report on Companies and Indigenous Rights

EIRIS is an SRI Research Group that has just issued this report on Companies and Indigenous Rights

According to the United Nations there are 370 million indigenous people in the world and 5,000 distinct indigenous cultural identities in more than 70 countries. Although indigenous people only account for 5% of the world’s population, they account for over 15% of the world’s poor. Following the paper Indigenous rights, indigenous wrongs: risks for the resource sectors released in 2007, EIRIS and CAER have analysed the response of companies in the FTSE All World Developed Index to indigenous rights. This latest research highlights the challenges facing companies and examines the implications for investors. This paper covers companies operating in sectors (mining, oil and gas, agricultural producers and forestry and paper) and countries considered high risk for indigenous rights.

The entire report can be downloaded from the EIRIS site here.

A summary of the report and key findings can be found here: Investors Urged To Focus Attention On Rights Of Indigenous Peoples

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June 17-23, 2009: Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues

Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues for the Week of June 17 - 23, 2009


International: Lack Of Indigenous Rights Policies Puts Companies At Risk

Report finds that few companies engaged in extractive business activities in indigenous lands have policies that address indigenous rights concerns.

Despite the fact that 250 companies listed on the FTSE All World Developed Index have a high- or medium-risk exposure to the rights of indigenous people, the quality of corporate reporting on indigenous rights issues is poor, and fewer than 20% have policies that require free prior informed consultation for indigenous peoples.

A report issued by Ethical Investment Research Services (EIRIS) and the Center for Australian Ethical Research (CAER) also found that only 19% of companies disclose employment data on indigenous people, and 6% have a policy addressing involuntary resettlement.

The report, entitled Indigenous Rights: Risks and Opportunities for Investors, identifies several key issues for indigenous people, who account for 5% of the world's population but over 15% of the world's poor. Perhaps the most important key issue is that of consultation or consent regarding extractive business activities in ancestral lands. Because only consent gives indigenous people veto power over such activities, the report grades management response as good only when companies commit to free prior informed consent. Read more about corporate investment on indigenous lands here....


United States: Coalition Petitioning For Glacier Park Protections

Glacier National Park and its neighbor to the north are endangered by mining proposals, and the international community must intervene to protect the region's natural and cultural heritage.

That's the message being delivered this week by tribal leaders, community organizers, business interests and conservationists, whose concerns will be aired at the 33rd annual meeting of the United Nations World Heritage Committee.

“Our petition,” said Will Hammerquist, “asks the World Heritage Committee to hear the concerns of local communities and indigenous peoples by recognizing the threat these projects pose to a globally significant ecosystem.”

Hammerquist works for the National Parks Conservation Association, which joined a dozen other groups in petitioning for the endangered status.

Glacier, along with adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, was named a World Heritage Site in 1995, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. At the time, UNESCO recognized the region for its “outstanding universal value.”

As two of the 157 signatories to the World Heritage treaty, Hammerquist said, both the United States and Canada accepted certain conservation obligations. But Canada has failed to meet those, he said, by moving ahead with controversial coal and coalbed methane energy development plans in southeastern British Columbia, on the borders of the parks.

Last year, NPCA joined a bi-national coalition representing a half-million Americans and Canadians, asking for a UNESCO review. Currently, only 30 World Heritage sites around the globe are listed as endangered. None is in North America. Read more about Native Americans and Glacier National Park here....


Greenland: Fondly, Greenland Loosens Danish Rule

The thing about being from Greenland, said Susan Gudmundsdottir Johnsen, is that many outsiders seem to have no clue where it actually is.

“They say, ‘Oh, my God, Greenland?’ It’s like they’ve never heard of it,” said Ms. Johnsen, 36, who was born in Iceland but has lived on this huge, largely frozen northern island for 25 years. “I have to explain: ‘Here you have a map. Here’s Europe. The big white thing is Greenland.’ ”

But Greenland, with 58,000 people and only two traffic lights, both of them here in the capital, is now securing its place in the world. On Sunday, amid solemn ceremony and giddy celebration, it ushered in a new era of self-governance that sets the stage for eventual independence from Denmark, its ruler since 1721.

The move, which allows Greenland to gradually take responsibility over areas like criminal justice and oil exploration, follows a referendum last year in which 76 percent of voters said they wanted self-rule. Many of the changes are deeply symbolic. Kalaallisut, a traditional Inuit dialect, is now the country’s official language, and Greenlanders are now recognized under international law as a separate people from Danes.

Thrillingly, the Greenlandic government now gets to call itself by its Inuit name, Naalakkersuisut — the first time in history, officials said, that the word has been used in a Danish government document. Read more about Greenland and it's self-governance here....


Peru: Amazonian Indians End Protest After Peru's Congress Repeals Decrees

A 10-week protest by Peru's Amazonian indigenous groups against legislation that facilitates development in their region ended yesterday after the Peruvian Congress repealed two legislative decrees. Leaders of the Peruvian Rainforest Inter-Ethnic Development Association, AIDESEP, called upon thousands of indigenous protesters to lift blockades of two highways and return to their villages.

The congressional vote was a partial victory for the seven indigenous organizations that AIDESEP represents, which were demanding that the government repeal nine decrees. Indigenous leaders claim those decrees threaten their people's rights to land and natural resources, and that they violate the UN International Labor Organization's convention 169, which requires the government to consult indigenous groups before passing laws that will impact them.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia signed the decrees last year as part of an extensive legislative package designed to help Peru comply with its Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

In a televised address to the nation on June 16, Garcia admitted that it was a mistake not to consult indigenous leaders when drafting the legislation, though he added that he didn't think the decrees affected indigenous lands. Read more about the Peruvian protest here....


Bangladesh: Eviction Of Indigenous People

The news out of Khatirpur at Porsha in Naogaon, where over 50 indigenous families have been attacked and forcibly evicted from their land, shocks us all. We unequivocally condemn this barbarous act, and strongly urge the government to take remedial action.

The victimisation of Bangladesh's indigenous populations is, unfortunately, not a new phenomenon. We feel that the government has a special responsibility to protect the country's minority communities and to ensure that none of their rights are violated.

It is because of their being in a minority, being out of the mainstream of society that land-grabbers and other criminal elements feel emboldened to cheat them or deny them of their rights.

Powerful members of the majority community calculate that no one will lift a finger to help such marginalised people, and that they can thus be targeted with impunity. The government must ensure that this assumption is proved wrong.

Indeed, this government has a reputation for being protective of minority rights, and, as such, we very much hope that it will move swiftly to correct this injustice and to ensure that the affected families are able to swiftly get back their land and live there without fear of reprisal. Read more about the indigenous peoples eviction here....

Last weeks Five Key Indigenous People's Issues can be found here.

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Engaging with Indigenous Identities in Cross-Cultural Perspective: Call for Papers

We invite abstracts before the 25 July deadline for the panel 'Engaging with Indigenous Identities in Cross-Cultural Perspective' for the AAS annual conference hosted by Macquarie University this upcoming December. Please contact either of the panel organisers, Greg Acciaioli or David Trigger, with your abstracts. Look forward to seeing you all in Sydney, Greg

Panel summary:

Despite criteria for Indigenous status established by the ILO, other UN organizations, and NGOs affiliated with the international Indigenous Peoples movement, the interpretation and application of such criteria are quite variable, prioritising various combinations of ancestry, acknowledgement of Custom or Law, and different positions in histories of colonial and postcolonial interaction. This panel problematises universal frameworks of Indigeneity, interrogating political processes and cultural framings through which Indigeneity is invoked and attributed (or not) in transnational, national and local contexts. We seek papers dealing with a wide range of countries and local settings and with transnational processes and organisations affecting how Indigeneity is defined, claimed, and disputed at various levels, focusing on such issues as:

• The politics of claims to 'Indigeneity'
• Transnational dimensions of the Indigenous peoples' movement, including human rights issues;
• Impacts of national policies recognizing or denying Indigenous status;
• Uses and contestations of Indigenous status in political/legal contests over ownership/custodianship of land and resources;
• Attributions of 'nativeness' to 'Indigenous' species of plants and animals and attitudes and policies regarding ‘exotic’ flora and fauna.
• Implications of such factors for the ethics of engagement with Indigenous communities in research, policy formulation and evaluation, ‘interventions’, etc.

Proposers:

Greg Acciaioli, Anthropology and Sociology, The University of Western Australia (acciaiol@cyllene.uwa.edu.au; (08) 64882861)

David Trigger, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland (d.trigger@uq.edu.au; (07) 3365 3170)

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America's Historical and Cultural Organizations: Implementation Grants

America's Historical and Cultural Organizations: Implementation Grants

Eligible Applicants

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education

Additional Information on Eligibility:

Agency Name

National Endowment for the Humanities

Description

America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations grants support projects in the humanities that explore stories, ideas, and beliefs that deepen our understanding of our lives and our world. The Division of Public Programs supports the development of humanities content and interactivity that excite, inform, and stir thoughtful reflection upon culture, identity, and history in creative and new ways. Grants for America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations should encourage dialogue, discussion, and civic engagement, and they should foster learning among people of all ages. To that end, the Division of Public Programs urges applicants to consider more than one format for presenting humanities ideas to the public. Implementation grants support the final preparation of a project for presentation to the public. Applicants must submit a full walkthrough for an exhibition, or a prototype or storyboard for a digital project, that demonstrates a solid command of the humanities ideas and scholarship that relate to the subject. Applicants for implementation grants should have already done most of the planning for their projects, including the identification of the key humanities themes, relevant scholarship, and program formats. For exhibitions, implementation grants can support the final stages of design development, but these grants are primarily intended for installation. Applicants are not required to obtain a planning grant before applying for an implementation grant. Applicants may not, however, submit multiple applications for the same project at the same deadline. If an application for a project is already under review, another application for the same project cannot be accepted. See application guidelines for Planning Grants. America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations grants support projects that are presented in these formats: traveling exhibitions that are presented at multiple venues; long-term exhibitions at one institution; interpretive Web sites or other digital formats; interpretation of historic places or areas; reading and discussion programs; panel exhibitions that travel widely, reach a broad audience, and take advantage of complementary programming formats (e.g., reading and discussion series, radio, or other media) to enhance the visitor experience; or other project formats that creatively engage audiences in humanities ideas. Applications that make innovative use of emerging technologies are encouraged. Projects must do more than simply provide a digital archive of material. They should offer new ways of contextualizing and interpreting information that engages public audiences interactively in exploring humanities ideas and questions. Applications may, for example, include plans to create Web sites, PDA tours and resources, podcasts, virtual environments, wiki formats other formats that utilize user-generated content, virtual imaging, GIS mapping, online scholar-led discussions, video on demand, streaming video, games, or other digital formats.When it is relevant, applications must explain how user-generated postings to public cyberspace will be vetted by qualified scholars or project staff for accuracy and public educational value. Digital components should rest on sound humanities scholarship and enhance the project’s humanities content for the general public in ways that take unique advantage of the proposed formats.

Link to Full Announcement

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2009 Conference on Community-Based Language Revival

2009 Conference on Community-Based Language Revival

Hosted by
The Three Rivers Language Center
Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne August 28-30, 2009

Community and tribal organizations, educators, linguists, and anyone else interested are invited to participate in a conference on reviving endangered languages. Special emphasis will be on the participation of the language community. Abstracts are now being taken for conference presentations, sessions, and workshops.

The keynote address will be given by Daryl Baldwin of the Myaamia Project at Miami University and Scott Shoemaker of the Miami Nation of Indiana. The conference will also include dinner with an Old Order Amish family and a special viewing of original prints from the Curtis collection.

Chad Thompson

Conference on Community-Based Language Revival

Department of Anthropology

Indiana-University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

2101 Coliseum Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499

or

ThompsoC@ipfw.edu

Phone: 260-481-6101
Fax: 260-481-6880

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Tribal Court Development Training: University of Alaska Fairbanks

Tribal Court Development Training

Sponsored by:
National Judicial College
Tanana Chiefs Conference
UAF, Interior Aleutians Campus

August 11, 12, 13 (1/2 day), 2009
Fairbanks
During the Tanana Valley Fair

Westmark Hotel – Yukon Room
813 Noble Street
Fairbanks, Alaska

Overview of Training: Each year we develop new presentations for this training! This year we are focusing on juvenile, domestic violence and children's cases, judicial code development, writing orders, and tribal state relations. Tribes fall into a wide range of tribal court development, and this training is intended to provide information to tribes just beginning tribal court development, for tribes that want to enhance or make modifications to their courts, as well as for tribes pursuing on-going tribal court training.

There is no tuition for this training, but please register prior to attending. The National Judicial College may provide $500 scholarships to help cover travel and per diem costs. For information about the $500 scholarships contact:
Christine Folsom-Smith at 775-327-8202 or cfsmith@judges.org

This training is available for one University of Alaska Credit.

For information on credit contact: Kevin Illingworth, Tribal Management Program, 907-474-5710, ffkmi@uaf.edu Further information about the training, and draft agenda, contact Tanana Chiefs Conference 907-452-8251 Sue Hollingsworth ext. 3273 susan.hollingsworth@tananachiefs.org
Lisa Jaeger ext. 3269
lisa.jaeger@tananachiefs.org

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Capacity Building through Human Rights Training: Indigenous Peoples in the International Arena

Capacity Building through Human Rights Training: Indigenous Peoples in the International Arena

June 25 – 26, 2009 Chickasaw Nation Riverwind Hotel

Norman, Oklahoma

IITC and the Seminole Sovereignty Protection Initiative thank the Bay and Paul Foundation, the Chickasaw Nation, Eagle-Condor Indigenous Peoples Alliance and the Resist Foundation for their support of this Training Workshop

June 25th 2009, Provisional Agenda

8:00am – 9:00am Registration
9:00-9:45am Invocation: Chickasaw Nation

Welcoming Remarks:

Chickasaw Nation, host Nation: Deanna Hartley- Kelso, Attorney General, Chickasaw Nation
Welcome from IITC: Rodney Factor, IITC Board Member, Seminole Sovereignty Protection Initiative

Introduction of Training Agenda and trainers: Jackie Warledo, IITC Development Coordinator
Introduction of participants: all

9:30 – 10:30am Opening Presentation: Ronald Lameman and Andrea Carmen Indigenous Peoples’ work at the United Nations: A Brief History and Summary of Achievements

Questions and discussion

10:30 – 10:45am Coffee Break

10:45-12:00pm Andrea Carmen: The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: What is says and how we can use it

12:00-1:00pm

Lunch (provided for registered participants)

1:00-1:45pm Alberto Saldamando, IITC General Counsel: The Structure of the UN human rights system and where Indigenous Peoples are working now; what the UN can and can’t do.

Questions and discussion

1:45-2:00pm Coffee Break

2:00 pm – 2:45 Ronald Lameman: Work on Treaty Rights at the UN, past, present and ongoing (including video presentation by Treaty 6 International Chief Willie Littlechild); Current work to implement the Declaration in Canada

2:45-3:30pm Andrea Carmen: Introduction to UN Human Rights Mechanisms The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination

3:30 – 3:45 Coffee Break

3:45 - 4:45pm Open discussion: Human Rights Violations and Situations Facing Indigenous Peoples in Oklahoma: Examples, strategies and responses, comments and questions
Jackie Warledo: Facilitator

4:45- 5:00 pm Closing comments, review of next day’s agenda

June 26th , 2009, Provisional Agenda

9:00-9:30am Ron Lameman and Andrea Carmen: Summary of previous day presentations: where we began and how far we have come

9:30-10:15am Alberto Saldamando: using UN Human Rights Mechanisms to defend human rights and hold states accountable, part I

10:15 – 10:30 am Coffee break

10:30-11:15 am Alberto Saldamando: Using other UN Human Rights and OAS mechanisms to defend human rights and hold states accountable, part II; how to document human violations for UN submissions

11:15-12:00 pm Examples, Questions and discussion, all, Rick Deer, facilitator

12:00-1:00 pm

Lunch provided for registered participants

1:00-1:45 pm Group Discussion: Specific cases and situations and how they can be addressed using International Human Rights bodies and mechanisms; Rodney Factor, facilitator: Ron Lameman, Andrea Carmen and Alberto Saldamando, panelists/responders

1:45 – 2:00 pm Coffee Break

2:00-2:45pm Group Discussion: Current standard setting and implementation efforts: Local, National and International, US position at International bodies and strategies to address this: Ron Lameman, facilitator; Opening remarks by trainers re: the OAS Declaration process, UNFCCC, the Stockholm and Mercury Conventions and the UPR review of the United States, 2010

2:45-3:00pm Closing Remarks, and next steps, all
Adjournment

Completed pre-registration forms can be faxed to (405) 382-1223; registration will also be conducted on site. There is no registration fee, but donations to offset training costs are tax deductable (to IITC) and are gratefully accepted.

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National Native Museum Training Program: Caring for Our History: Museum Conservation Basics

National Native Museum Training Program Update

NATHPO announces that applications are being accepted for the next workshop in the National Native Museum Training Program series. The Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut will host the workshop, "Caring for Our History: Museum Conservation Basics."

Instructor: Helen Alten

Dates of Seminar: July 12-17, 2009

Seminar Description: Caring for the art, culture and archaeological materials of our past and present is not as simple as putting materials on a shelf in a secure room. Aging is the result of nine agents of deterioration acting on all materials to make them fall apart. Caretakers can reduce and eliminate aging by understanding how each of these agents operates and how to stop them. Students will have hands on experience with museum monitoring equipment and techniques. Students will then examine specific materials - buckskin, beadwork, rawhide, basketry, ceramics, stone and metal are some - and learn about how they are affected by the agents and how damage can be mitigated. Lab time includes practice in examination and cleaning.
Students learn how to determine what they can do and what requires a professional conservator. Class lectures will be supplemented with lots of lab and hands-on opportunities.

For more information, including participant and scholarship applications, go to NATHPO website: www.nathpo.org Link for workshop information:
http://www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/MuseumConservation.html
(You may have to cut/paste this URL into your browser.)

Thanks to The Getty Foundation, scholarships are available (applications will be reviewed on a first come-first serve basis so we urge you to apply early).
Link for Getty Scholarship information:
http://www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/scholarships.html

Questions? Please contact Bambi Kraus, NATHPO bambi@nathpo.org

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Mother Earth: Confronting the Challenge of Climate Change

SYMPOSIUM Mother Earth: Confronting the Challenge of Climate Change
Saturday, June 27, 2009, 2–4:30 p.m.
National Museum of the American Indian

Rasmuson Theater

Indigenous peoples are responding to the crucial challenge of climate change in creative ways, calling on traditional knowledge and adapting new technologies to craft solutions that benefit all. Join us for engaging presentations and lively discussion about innovative strategies being pioneered across Indian Country to address this planetary crisis.

Learn how we can lighten our footprint on the Earth with speakers Patricia Cochran, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council; Robert Gough of the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy (Intertribal COUP); Miguel Pinedo-Vasquez, a native of the Peruvian Amazon and scientific expert on integrated conservation and resource management; and Deborah Tewa (Hopi), solar energy specialist and educator.

Mother Earth: Confronting the Challenge of Climate Change is moderated by José Barreiro (Taino), NMAI assistant director for research.

For more information, email NMAI-SSP@si.edu.

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United South and Eastern Tribes Emergency Mutual Aid Compact Development

United South and Eastern Tribes Emergency Mutual Aid Compact Development

Eligible Applicants

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility:

This funding opportunity is restricted to United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.

Agency Name

Department of Homeland Security - FEMA

Description

The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to facilitate the efficient and effective sharing of resources between USET member Tribes during times of disaster or emergency and to develop better coordination and use of resources in Tribal emergency services response efforts through the establishment and implementation of Tribal Emergency Mutual Aid Compacts. Entering into an Emergency Mutual Aid Compact will be voluntary and each Tribe will determine their appropriate level of participation. USET would like to see phases of the project take shape with the hopes of creating a long-term established system of response for Tribes that can eventually be duplicated across the country to any Tribe that chooses to participate.

Link to Full Announcement

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Bermuda To Honor Indigenous Native Peoples For 400th Anniversary

As part of the island of Bermuda’s 400th anniversary celebrations, the St. David’s Island Community will host its fifth Native American Festival on Saturday June 20th and Sunday June 21st, 2009. Previous festivals were hailed as over-whelming successes locally and internationally. The special event is held on the St David’s County Cricket Field and it continues to grow with about 2000 local people attending.

The festival began as a project to reconnect St. David’s Native American descendants with their contemporaries from East coast areas of the United States. The historical record reveals that Indigenous Peoples were taken from the United States as well as from around the Caribbean region to Bermuda as part of the slave trade in the 1700s.

About 80 American Indian representatives have been invited to attend and participate in the cultural festival, which will highlight American Indian song, dance, story telling and craft making as well as local artisans.

Among the invited delegates, Mildred Karaira Gandia (Boriken Taino) will represent the United Confederation of Taino People at this historic anniversary event. Gandia will present an official statement to the gathering which is expected to include Bermuda’s Governor, his Excellently Sir Richard Gozney among other Bermudan government officials and dignitaries.

North of the Bahamas in the mid-Atlantic, Bermuda's settlement began in 1609. Contrary to popular belief Bermuda is not one island – but a string of islands now linked by causeways and bridges.

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Documenting Our History: Telling The Stories With Our Elders

Documenting our history: telling the stories with our elders

Are you interested in family history or doing community research? Tranby Aboriginal College in conjunction with the History Council of NSW and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is hosting a full day workshop on Aboriginal historical research during NAIDOC Week 2009.

The workshop will showcase Aboriginal led research that seeks to document and reclaim Aboriginal stories and knowledge of the past. Listen to prominent Aboriginal historians John Maynard, Heidi Norman, Suzanne Ingram and Shino Konishi talk about their work. Join a series of 'hands-on' workshops for the Aboriginal community on accessing archives contained in Australia's leading institutions: AIATSIS, the State Library of NSW, State Records NSW and the Australian War Memorial. Learn about opportunities for funding for Indigenous history projects. Lunch will be provided.

When: Thursday 9 July 2009, 9.00am – 4.00pm
Where: Tranby Aboriginal College, 13 Mansfield Street, Glebe Cost: Gold Coin Donation
Enquiries: Annaliesse Monaro, 02 9660 3444, a.monaro@tranby.edu.au

Zoe Pollock
Executive Officer
History Council of NSW
PO Box R1737
Royal Exchange NSW 1225
T: (02) 9252 8715
F: (02) 9252 8716

Email: office@historycouncilnsw.org.au
Visit the website at http://www.historycouncilnsw.org.au

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Lannan Indigenous Communities Program: Grants for Native American Tribes or Organizations

Lannan Indigenous Communities Program

The Indigenous Communities Program (ICP) supports the resolve of Native Americans to renew their communities through their own institutions and traditions. Funding priority is given to rural indigenous projects that are consistent with traditional values in the areas of education, Native cultures, the revival and preservation of languages, legal rights, and environmental protection.

The foundation has supported the efforts of several national organizations, though funding priority is currently given to smaller, rural grassroots organizations serving communities that are indigenous to specific geographic locations. Organizations supported both serve and are controlled by Native people.

At this time the foundation only accepts new grant requests from United States federally recognized tribes or Native controlled 501(c)(3) organizations whose work is solely focused in the United States.

To find out more, visit the Lannan indigenous communities page.

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June 10-16, 2009: Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues

Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues for the Week of June 10 - 16, 2009


Peru: Milagros Salazar Interviews SALOMÓN AGUANASH, Leader Of Native Protests In Peru’s Amazon Jungle

The Peruvian government described the recent deaths of police officers in clashes with indigenous protesters in the country’s Amazon rainforest as "genocide" at the hands of "extremist savages."

But Awajún leader Salomón Aguanash said the violence broke out after the protesters were tricked and were surrounded by the police, who came with express orders to shoot to kill.

Aguanash, president of the regional protest committee that led the two-month demonstration and roadblock in Bagua, says the local police chief, General Víctor Uribe, had promised the night before the tragic events of Friday, Jun. 5 to give the protesters until 10:00 AM the next day to pull out.

He said the indigenous people manning the traffic blockade were getting ready to return to their towns and villages on Friday morning when the police showed up at the roadblock before 6:00 AM and opened fire.

"They wanted to catch us off guard," said Aguanash, who is the chief of the village of Nazareth, a 3.5-hour drive from the town of Bagua in the northern province of Amazonas, where the violent incident took place.

The first shots against the protesters who were preparing to lift the roadblock at a spot on the highway near Bagua known as Curva del Diablo (Devil’s Curve) came from the surrounding hills as well as three police helicopters, said the native leader. Read more of the interview here....


Bangladesh: 17 Hurt As Locals, Settlers Clash In Khagrachhari

A clash between indigenous people and settlers over disputed land left at least 17 people seriously injured at Boroitali under Guimara upazila in Khagrachhari district yesterday morning.

Four people went missing after the incident and aggrieved people kept roads blocked for over four hours demanding return of the missing people.

The injured were admitted to Khagrachhari Adhunik Sadar Hospital, Guimara Army Hospital, and Matiranga Upazila Health Complex.

The four missing people have been identified as Hafiz Bandari, 55, Habibur Rahman, 55, Solaiman 32, and Rabiul Islam 36.

Locals and police said the incident began at about 8:30am when a group of indigenous people attacked the settlers to take control of the land, which was provided to settlers in 1981-82.

Later army, police and Ansar members took position to avert further untoward incident, they said. Read more about the clash in Khagrachhari here....


Australia: Macklin Endorses Income Quarantining

INDIGENOUS Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has strongly endorsed a key plank of the Howard government's intervention into remote Aboriginal communities, indicating that income quarantining of welfare payments will continue despite the reintroduction of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Consultations will begin this week in several central Australian communities over the future of the billion-dollar intervention into 73 remote indigenous communities and town camps.

But the hopes of Aboriginal rights activists that income quarantining would have to become a voluntary rather than a compulsory measure once the Racial Discrimination Act was reinstated look set to be dashed.

Ms Macklin indicated yesterday she was in favour of a continuation of compulsory income quarantining, whereby 50 per cent of a recipient's welfare payments must be spent on essential items such as food and clothing, describing it as a measure that was beneficial to Aborigines.

Under the Racial Discrimination Act, special measures that are deemed to be beneficial to a particular racial group can trigger an exemption from the provisions of the act.

"My personal view is that these (income quarantining) measures have been beneficial to the Aboriginal people living in these remote communities," Ms Macklin said yesterday.

"The women tell me that now that they've got more money to spend on food, their children are getting better fed, that there's less money being spent on alcohol and drugs, less money being spent on gambling."

One option to be considered is a voluntary system of income management, as recommended last year by a review panel headed by indigenous leader Peter Yu. Read more about income quarantining in Australia here....


Chile: Mixed Reception For Indigenous Protection Code

Although it is still in the process of being drafted, a "code of responsible conduct" promoted by the Chilean government to regulate public and private investment in indigenous areas has already drawn resistance.

"The code is an inadequate mechanism, because it does not resolve the deeper underlying problem: achieving sustainable management of Chile’s natural resources, with full respect for environmental rights and the rights of citizens, especially indigenous peoples," Nancy Yánez, co-director of the non-governmental Observatorio Ciudadano (Citizen Observatory), told IPS.

"What the code does is validate the practice that has been followed up to now, in which the state washes its hands of the political responsibility of having to decide how and where investments are made, based on strategic planning for natural resources," said Yánez, a lawyer and expert on the rights of indigenous people.

The approval of vast forestry plantations, paper pulp mills, mines, hydroelectric dams, highways, airports and other mega-projects in the ancestral lands of indigenous people, who number over one million in this country of 16 million, is today one of the main sources of conflict with government authorities.

The so-called "indigenous code" promoted by the centre-left administration of socialist President Michelle Bachelet is aimed at bringing Chile into compliance with International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, which is set to go into effect in this country on Sept. 15. Read more about the indigenous protection code here....


Sweden: In Sweden's Far North, A Convergence Of Fighter Jets, Reindeer, And Hurt Feelings

'Lapistan,' where NATO is conducting war games, is fictional. But the exercises are testing real-life relations with the Russians as well as the indigenous Sami people.

A NATO rapid-reaction force is on a war footing in Swedish Lapland this week.

Ten countries, 2,000 troops, a strike aircraft carrier, and 50 fighter jets – including the US Air Force's F-15 Eagle – are participating in war games near contested Arctic territories.

Choosing this place for war games reflects the growing strategic importance of the Arctic, which is estimated to contain a quarter of the Earth's oil and gas, say analysts. But the exercises could escalate military tensions with Russia over NATO (read more here) and endanger the livelihood of indigenous people, activists say.

The maneuvers got under way on Monday and will continue into next week. The exercises are based on a fictional conflict in "Lapistan," a revolutionary, oil-rich dictatorship that has attacked a neighboring country.

The mission is to enforce a UN resolution, using mainly air forces based near Sweden's largest northern city, Luleå. The exercise spans a massive land area stretching from Östersund in southern Lapland to the Norwegian border, near the Barents Sea.

Nonaligned Sweden and Finland are participating as members of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Read more about the Samis and NATO war games here....

Last weeks Five Key Indigenous People's Issues can be found here.

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The Native Response to Henry Hudson: Discussion At Museum of the City of New York

Tuesday • June 23 • 6:30 PM

The Native Response to Henry Hudson

Join James Ring Adams, Senior Historian of the Research Unit of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and author of “1609: The Year Everything Changed” in the Spring issue of American Indian magazine, as he moderates a panel discussion featuring Shirley Dunn, author of The Mohican World, 1680-1750 (Purple Mtn. Press, 2000), and other leading experts to examine the three main groups of Native Americans Hudson encountered. Presented in conjunction with Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: The Worlds of Henry Hudson.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

$12 Non-Members

$8 Seniors and Students

$6 Museum Members

*A two-dollar surcharge applies for unreserved, walk-in participants.

Order tickets online at www.mcny.org/public-programs/ or call 212.534.1672, ext. 3395.

Museum of the City of New York

1220 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street

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United Nations New Independent Expert on Cultural Rights: Call for Nominations

Call for Nominations - UN New Independent Expert on Cultural Rights

The Deadline for Submission of Nominations for the New UN Independent Expert on Cultural Rights is 24 July 2009.

The UN Human Rights Council has just announced the creation of the Special Procedure Mandate position of Independent Expert on Cultural Rights.

The person in this three year position will be responsible for:

Identifying the best practices in the promotion of cultural rights at the local, national, regional, and international levels

Identifying possible obstacles to the promotion and protection of cultural rights and to submit proposals and/or recommendations to the Human Rights Council on possible actions in that regard

Working in cooperation with States in order to foster the adoption of measures at the local, regional, and international levels aimed at the promotion and protection of cultural rights through concrete proposals enhancing sub regional, regional, and international cooperation in that regard

Studying the relation between cultural rights and cultural diversity, in close collaboration with States and other relevant actors, including in particular UNESCO, with the aim of further promotion cultural rights

Integrating a gender and disabilities perspective into his/her work

Working in close coordination, while avoiding unnecessary duplication, with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, other special procedures of the Human Rights Council, the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as with all other relevant actors representing the broadest possible range of interests and experiences, within their respective mandates, including by attending and following up on relevant international conferences and events.

Any Government, Regional Group operating within the United Nations human rights system, international organization or its office (e.g. the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), non-governmental organization, other human rights body or interested individual party can nominate candidates for this position.

Direct Link to New UN Mandate Notice on Independent Expert on Cultural
Rights:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/special/docs/Listofvacancies-September2009.pdf

UN Special Procedures - Nomination, Selection and Appointment of Mandate Holders http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/special/nominations.htm

Contact: hrcspecialprocedures@ohchr.org

HRC Secretariat, c/o Meena Ramkaun

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Room PW 4-037

Palais des Nations

8-14 avenue de la Paiz

CH-1211 Geneva 10

Tel: +41 (0)22 917 97 07, Fax: +41 (0)22 917 90 08

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Forced Federalism: Contemporary Challenges To Indigenous Nationhood

Forced Federalism: Contemporary Challenges to Indigenous Nationhood (American Indian Law and Policy)

Approximately every two decades, federal policy shifts between a conservative laissez faire delegation of power to the states and a liberal, often paternal, centralization of power within the federal government. The latest development in the cycle, according to the authors of Forced Federalism, is the new federalism that began more than twenty years ago.

Corntassel and Witmer argue that forced federalism has arrived unnoticed, with most people thinking, if they think about it at all, that Indian policy remains as it was in the 1960s. Under Lyndon Johnson federal policy was liberal, and indigenous people were allowed a significant amount of self determination as well as a large amount of federal support. In the late 1980s under the new federalism, specifically in 1988 with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the federal government abdicated its role in Indian affairs and gave the states the responsibility for Native American populations. Indian nations are sovereign entities, comparable to the federal government, whose relations with the United States are set by treaty. Dealing with the states rather than the federal government as such produces a loss of status for Native American nations.

When the American Indian Movement (AIM) seized the Oglala reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973, its purpose was to obtain redress for grievances and bring the federal government to acknowledge treaty violations. AIM was not protesting state or federal neglect of constituents. Rather, it was drawing attention to violations by a sovereign nation, the United States, of an international agreement with another sovereign nation, the Oglala Sioux. To reinforce its claim to sovereignty, AIM attempted to present its case before the United Nations, a forum where sovereign nations handle problems with other sovereign nations.

Read the rest of the review here: Indigenous Peoples Issues & Resources: Forced Federalism Or get a copy of Forced Federalism: Contemporary Challenges to Indigenous Nationhood now!

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Opposition to Enbridge Tar Sands Pipeline Growing: First Nations Oppose Development

Event Galvanizes Opposition to Enbridge Tar Sands Pipeline

Community opposition to the proposed Enbridge pipeline is growing. Over 200 people from communities along the pipeline route gathered Saturday in Moricetown, BC to discuss the impacts of the proposed mega-project.

The 1170-kilometre Enbridge pipeline would carry oil from the Alberta tar sands to a tanker port at Kitimat.

“This Energy Summit was a reminder that the tar sands affects us all – from Fort Chipewan to Haida Gwaii and beyond. We can only protect our lands and waters if we stand together,” said Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief Alphonse Gagnon.

Nations present included Mikisew Cree (AB), Kelly Lake Cree (BC), West Moberly (BC), Nadleh Whut'en (BC), Wet’suwet’en (BC), Kitkatla (BC), Gitga’at (BC), Haida (BC), Nisga’a (BC), Lake Babine (BC), Alexander (AB) and others. A letter of support from the Gitxsan was read at the event.

George Poitras traveled to the event from Fort Chipewan, an Alberta community downstream from the tar sands, to share the devastating impacts the development has had on his community. These include a high incidence of rare cancers.

“The situation downstream from the tar sands is so toxic that one of our elders told his son not to have children because everything is so polluted and our people can no longer drink the water or eat the fish,” said Poitras.

Representatives of coastal First Nations reiterated their strong opposition to oil tanker traffic in coastal waters. “The tycoons expect to further spread the tar sands poison, putting their lavish desires before our lifestyles and our culture,” said Guujaaw, President of the Council of the Haida Nation. “We depend on these lands and waters and we will not put the safety and well being of our territories in their hands.”

MLAs Doug Donaldson (Stikine), Gary Coons (North Coast) and Robin Austin (Skeena) also attended the event. Member of Parliament Nathan Cullen (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) noted the event in the House of Commons on Friday.

Over 500 residents have endorsed a resolution calling for a moratorium on the transport of tar sands oil and a full public inquiry into the proposed pipeline. “We stand together in supporting a moratorium on the transport of tar sands oil through our territories and communities,” reads the resolution.

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Tracing the Trail: The Pictured Rocks Segment of the Anishnaabeg Migration Route

Tracing the Trail: The Pictured Rocks Segment of the Anishnaabeg Migration Route

Eligible Applicants

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility:

This is a single source award to Northern Michigan University (NMU), Marquette, MI. The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activities based upon a variety of demostrable factors. NMU’s anthropology program is well respected and has a good record of working with Ojibwa communities in the northern Michigan area. The Principal Investigator (PI)specializes in sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, Native American Studies, and existential-phenomenological psychology with experience throughout North America. PI has conducted fieldwork to explore environmental perception, traditional ecological knowledge systems, and the viability of Marine Protected Areas. PI has collaborated extensively with multiple indigenous representatives from many indigenous communities on a broad spectrum of ethnographic and ethnohistorical research as well as serving as a consultant in compliance with Native American legislation. PI has previous experience as a team member working on NPS Ethnography Program projects for the IMR and MWR, and for the U.S. Forest Service.

Agency Name

National Park Service

Description

Using a combination of oral history and key informant interviewing, this project will connect migration stories and tradition to contemporary cultural significance of features of the cultural landscape and archeology sites in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The data collected will be recorded in a multimedia format for use in interpretive programs, and as the potential content foundation for interpretive kiosks and internet web pages designed to present Ojibwa migration as part of contemporary Ojibwa culture, not simply as a historical fact or event from the past.

More information and requirements can be found here.

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Contemporary North American Indigenous Human and Cultural Rights Injustice

“Contemporary North American Indigenous Human and Cultural Rights Injustice”

There is a common idea out there that the injustices committed against North American indigenous “Indians” was a 19th Century and/or early 20th Century condition. While we all hold a general awareness that native reservations in the United States and reserves and Indian settlement areas in Canada may be marked by high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, suicide, gang activity, and domestic violence, and that these societal conditions may be regarded as a consequence of the colonization of North America; what is unknown is that these communities are still fighting a battle, today, that looks no different than the past.

North American indigenous communities, reservations, ceded territories, spiritual places, and traditional lands still in dispute in a court of law are under attack by multi-national corporations, governmental policies that abet domestic and foreign natural resource extractive industries, and judicial systems and processes that typically uphold legal edicts based on precedents without questioning whether it was fair, ethical, and just to begin with.

We will discuss the following three key and rapidly escalating areas of interest:

The Western Shoshone in the state of Nevada and their long-standing and continuing struggle against the mining and nuclear industries on their non-reservation lands under the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley,

The Athabascan Chipewyan and Lubicon Cree, and other First Nation groups whose Treaty lands are being plundered by the Albertan Oil Tar Sands, and the oil pipelines from the Oil Tar Sands into the United States are threatening the Assiniboine and Lakota tribes of Montana and South Dakota and the Ojibwe in Northern Minnesota,

The conditions for indigenous tribes along the United States borders including the Tohono O’odham, Yaqui, Jumano and Lipan Ndé (Apache) whose reservations or traditional lands have a border, and now a border wall, running through it. These tribes are under severe pressure due to the onslaught of the drug cartels and the human traffickers from Mexico, American and Mexican Customs and Border Patrol personnel, multi-national global subcontractors constructing the border wall and associated components, and civilian border-monitoring groups who may not possess the cultural education tools to understand the needs of these native communities.

Indigenous tribes such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) along the United States and Canadian border are experiencing similar conditions with border patrol operatives, and the caseload of human rights violations continues to mount; especially due to pre-existing racial tensions regarding tribal land and treaty rights and a jointly-shared United States and Canada program called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that will commence on June 1, 2009, which may violate the terms of the Jay Treaty of 1794.

Additionally, we will discuss what role Germany and Europe plays in regards to the mining in Nevada, the oil production in Canada, and North American national defense mechanisms.

Furthermore, how will the Obama administration handle these North American indigenous concerns considering that his administration has begun reviewing the September 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples? Will it be the same policies as his predecessors or is there hope in indigenous communities that there will be a change?

Similarly, how is Canada handling indigenous issues in light of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s June 8, 2008 official apology to First Nations regarding the Indian Residential School era and the fact that Amnesty International of Canada and the Native Women’s Association of Canada has published reports in the past year detailing the high prevalence of missing and murdered native women in Canada?

The intent of this lecture, discussion, and dialogue is to educate and raise awareness about present-day North American indigenous community challenges and to examine them from not only a brief historical level, but to examine how governmental policies and the legal processes of today may undermine or adversely affect the sovereignty of indigenous tribes, some who may not have political recognition or it may be limited, and how this is reinforcing an atmosphere where human, cultural, tribal, and treaty rights continues to be infringed upon.

Please Note: The lecture and discussion will be communicated in the English language.

DEUTSCHE ÜBERSETZUNG

Es wird allgemein angenommen, dass das Unrecht an den nordamerikanischen Indianern vor allem im 19. und beginnenden 20. Jahrhundert begangen wurde. Während heute allgemein bekannt ist, dass vielfältige Probleme das indianische Leben in den Reservaten und Siedlungen der USA und Kanadas prägen, wie hohe Arbeitslosigkeits- und Selbstmordraten, Drogenprobleme und Gewalt, und sie als mittelbare Folge der nordamerikanischen Kolonisation anzusehen sind, scheint wenig bekannt, dass diese indigenen Völker nach wie vor Kämpfe auszutragen haben, die sich nicht wesentlich von denen der vergangenen Jahrhunderte unterscheiden.

Die indianischen Völker Nordamerikas, ihre Reservate, zugesicherten Gebiete, heiligen Plätze und traditionellen Stammesgebiete, über die noch heute vor Gerichten gestritten wird, werden bedroht von multinationalen Konzernen, politischen Entscheidungen, die die nationale und ausländische Rohstoffindustrie begünstigen, sowie Gerichten, die an überkommenen Präzedenzfällen festhalten, ohne zu hinterfragen, ob diese faire und ethisch gerechtfertigte Urteile darstellen.

Es werden folgende ebenso brisante wie aktuelle Bereiche diskutiert:

Die Western Shoshone in Nevada und ihre lang anhaltenden Anstrengungen gegen Bergbau- und Atomindustrie in ihren Nicht-Reservationsgebieten entsprechend dem Abkommen von Ruby Valley 1863.

Die Athabascan Chipewyan, Lubicon Cree und andere First Nation Gruppierungen in Kanada, auf deren durch Abkommen zugesicherten Gebieten ölhaltige Teersände gefördert werden, sowie die Ölpipelines, die auf der Strecke zwischen den Oil Tar Sands und den USA die Gebiete der Assiniboine und Lakota Stämme in Montana und South Dakota, und der Ojibwe in Northern Minnesota gefährden.

3) Die Lebensbedingungen indigener Stämme entlang der US-amerikanischen Grenzen, insbesondere der Tohono O’odham, Yaqui, Jumano und Lipan Ndé (Apache), durch deren Reservate oder traditionellen Gebiete eine Grenze bzw, nunmehr ein Grenzwall verläuft. Diese Stämme stehen aufgrund der Ausdehnung mexikanischer Drogenkartelle und Menschenhändler, durch US-amerikanische und mexikanische Grenzbeamte, durch die Praktiken multinationaler Subunternehmen, die mit dem Bau des Grenzwalls beauftragt sind, sowie ziviler Grenzschützer, die die erforderlichen, kulturellen Kenntnisse im Umgang mit den ansässigen Stämmen nicht haben , unter großem Druck. Stämme wie die Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) entlang der Grenze zu Kanada erleben ähnliche Probleme mit dem Grenzpersonal. Hier häufen sich Menschenrechtsverletzungen, die insbesondere durch (rassistische) Spannungen zwischen Landrechten und dem Abkommen „Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative“ bedingt sind. Dieses, zwischen Kanada und den USA geschlossene Abkommen tritt am 01. Juni 2009 in Kraft und verletzt möglicherweise im Jay Treaty von 1794 zugesicherte Rechte.

Darüber hinaus werden wir die Rolle Deutschlands und Europas im Zusammenhang mit dem Bergbau in Nevada, der Ölproduktion in Kanada und amerikanischen Sicherheitsbemühungen betrachten.

Auch wird die Frage diskutiert, wie die Obama-Administration die Probleme der indigenen Bevölkerung angeht, insbesondere, da sie begonnen hat, die UN-Deklaration über die Rechte indigener Völker von 2007 zu prüfen. Wird Obama die Politik seiner Vorgänger fortsetzen oder gibt es Hoffnung für Nordamerikas Indianer?

Ebenso stellt sich die Frage wie Kanada mit indigenen Fragestellungen umgehen wird, nachdem sich Premierminister Stephen Harper am 8. Juni 2008 für das an indigenen Völkern in der Ära der Indian Residential Schools begangene Unrecht entschuldigt hat und Amnesty International Kanada mit der Native Women’s Association of Canada im vergangenen Jahr einen Bericht veröffentlicht hat, wonach die Anzahl verschwundener oder ermordeter indianischer Frauen sehr hoch ist.

Vortrag, Diskussion und Dialog sollen vor allem informieren und das Bewusstsein für die Belange der nordamerikanischen indigenen Völker erhöhen. Die Probleme, denen diese Völker gegenwärtig gegenüberstehen, sollen dabei nicht nur vom historischen Standpunkt aus betrachtet werden, sondern es soll aufgezeigt werden wie aktuelle Politik und juristische Verfahren die Souveränität indigener Völker untergraben bzw, nachteilig beeinflussen und wie dadurch eine Atmosphäre kreiert wird, in der Menschenrechte, kulturelle und Stammesrechte sowie Vertragsrechte kontinuierlich verletzt werden.


Der Vortrag und die anschließende Diskussion finden auf Englisch statt.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Am 22. Juni um 19:00 Uhr wird Jessica Ossenbrügge zu Contemporary North American Indigenous Human and Cultural Rights Injustice im Robert Havemann Saal im Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte vortragen und anschließend unsere Fragen beantworten und mit uns diskutieren. Der Vortrag und die Diskussion werden auf englisch stattfinden. Ihr bekommt vorab noch mal eine deutsche Übersetzung der Kernaussagen, die wir auch auslegen werden. Weitere Details folgen demnächst.

Ich freue mich auf den spannenden Vortrag und verbleibe bis bald
mit herzlichen Grüßen
Eure Nina Althoff

Internationale Frauenliga für Frieden und Freiheit - IFFF / Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - WILPF
Deutsche Sektion
Dr. Nina Althoff
Geschäftsführung
althoff@wilpf.de
Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte
Greifswalder Str. 4
10405 Berlin
Webseite: www.wilpf.de

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Seeking Applications for Review of Guidelines for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies

AIATSIS is currently seeking applications for a three-month project starting around mid- July, to undertake a full review of the AIATSIS Guidelines for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies (GERIS) and associated materials. The Guidelines were drafted around ten years ago, and have not been comprehensively reviewed since. A copy of the current Guidelines can be found at http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/10534/GERIS_2007.pdf.

The project will examine developments in ethical practices over the past decade and emerging trends for the future, with the aim of delivering a coherent policy document to guide ethical research involving Indigenous peoples over the next 5-10 years.

Salary will depend on experience, but will be in the range $58,707 to $81,162 plus superannuation and leave benefits. The position is based in Canberra, but there may be an opportunity to undertake part of the project away from Canberra. For applicants living outside Canberra, we may consider an additional allowance for living expenses. On-site car parking in Canberra is free.

More detailed information on these vacancies is attached. If, after reading the selection documentation, you require further information, please contact Tony Boxall on 02 6246 1145 or email tony.boxall@aiatsis.gov.au

Applications should be forward to Recruitment at AIATSIS, GPO Box 553, Canberra, 2601 or email: recruitment@aiatsis.gov.au.

The closing date for applications is 26 June 2009.

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Indigenous Pop, Jazz, Rock, Folk, Rap, Hip Hop, and Other Music: Call for Papers

CFP: call for contributors to a new critical collection Indigenous pop jazz, rock, rockabilly, folk, country western, blues, rap, reggae, metal, hip-hop, punk

Edited by Jeff Berglund, Kimberli Lee, and Janis (Jan) Johnson

This proposed collection of criticism examines the understudied and academically underappreciated varieties of musical traditions that emerged in Indigenous communities in Central and North America throughout the twentieth century and that continue to flourish. In particular, we'll trace the transition of musical expression from the era following World War I and beyond, looking at the way that blues, jazz, country/western, rock, rockabilly, folk, reggae, metal, punk, hip hop and rap performers fuse "non-Indigenous" and Indigenous musical modes.

The volume's three editors contend that contemporary musical expression deserves to be studied alongside the greatest works of literature, particularly if we want clear insights into the ways that art, audience and context interrelate in immediate ways; to not consider the impact of music and song is a political act in itself, not merely academic neglect. Our intended audience is the broad, interdisciplinary field of Indigenous Studies as well as American Studies, literary studies, and music studies. We have serious academic press interest.

We're especially interested in discussing the intersection of "tradition" and popular art, intercultural cross-pollinations, commerce, and activism.

We are interested in essays that wrestle with terminologies such as "tradition," "popular," "Indigenous," "post-traditional" and question the ways that tradition is reinvented and passed on. Additionally, we're interested in essays that examine the way performers and their music expand on tribal archives of songwork-including their spiritual and social dimensions-as well as works that foreground how music functions as a form of activism and/or social commentary on the past or the present.

Please send a detailed abstract (at least two pages) with possible sources by September 1, 2009 to Jeff.Berglund@nau.edu.
____________________
Dr. Jeff Berglund
Associate Professor of English &
President's Distinguished Teaching Fellow PO Box 6032 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ 86011-6032

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National Organizations that Serve Minority Communities Initiative to Share Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Eliminate Health Disparities

National Organizations that Serve Minority Communities Initiative to Share Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Eliminate Health Disparities with Local Affiliates & Chapters (MNOs REACH-US)

Eligible Applicants

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility:

Applicant’s Eligibility For this program announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has chosen to limit eligibility to established national organizations that can demonstrate experience working in the health arena and specifically on issues related to health disparities. MNOs must have language in their mission statement defining their population as one of the racial and ethnic minority populations served by REACH US MNOs must have local affiliates and chapters in at least four states and have the ability to reach at least 30% of their target population. Competition is limited to: • Nonprofit with 501C3 IRS status (other than institutions of higher education) • Nonprofit without 501C3 IRS status (other than institutions of higher education) • Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments • Urban Indian health organizations A Bona Fide Agent is an agency/organization identified by the state as eligible to submit an application under the state eligibility in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent of a state or local government, a letter from the state or local government as documentation of the status is required. Attach with “Other Attachment Forms” when submitting via HYPERLINK "http://www.grants.gov" www.grants.gov. There will be only one award per specific population and one per health priority area.

Agency Name

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Description

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2009 funds to support national minority organizations to 1) disseminate evidence-based strategies, tools and best practices to their local affiliates and chapters; and 2) to provide capacity-building technical assistance to local affiliates and chapters to address the growing health disparities among their constituents. The MNOs will work with affiliates or chapters to address specific health disparity areas by supporting the implementation of proven or promising interventions in specific populations. Each MNO will build capacity in communities by working with local affiliates and chapters to share the knowledge, skills, and organizational structure needed for effective leadership and implementation of a health disparities program at the local level. The MNOS will be expected to work with currently funded REACH CEEDs to identify strategies that work locally and highly encouraged to collaborate with the REACH Coalition to disseminate effective interventions.

For more information visit full announcement here.

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June 3-9, 2009: Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues

Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues for the Week of June 3 - June 9, 2009


Peru: Masacre In The Amazon: Abya Yala North: Solidarity Actions With The Indigenous Peoples Of Peru

....a military action against our relatives of the Peruvian Amazon who have been in resistance against presidential decrees of expropriation of the natural resources of their territories has resulted in a number of casualties and accelerated the crisis of the US-Peru trade agreements as instrument of collusion in the genocide of the Indigenous Peoples.

IEN Condemns Violence in the Peruvian Amazon

The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) condemns the violent attacks on peaceful indigenous blockades in the Peruvian Amazon that has left up to 100 civilians* and 22 police* dead and hundreds injured. IEN recognizes the communiqué of the Indigenous regional organization, the Coordinating Body of Andean Indigenous Organizations (CAOI) calling upon indigenous organizations, social movements and human rights organizations around the world to take concrete action: letters to the Peruvian government, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Inter-American Commission Human Rights, International Labor Organization (ILO Convention 169) calling to immediately send missions to Peru, in order to stop the violence and respect indigenous rights.

CAOI and other reports from Peru are continuing to report the APRA government of Alan García Pérez acting out its repression in the Peruvian Amazon against the Indigenous peoples and its citizens. The human rights crisis illustrates the consequences of a systematic failure in the basic governance processes related to self-determination, land and forest tenure and failures of implementation of policies of consultation and provisions of free, prior and informed consent. Read more on the indigenous protests in Peru here....


Philippines: 100 Tribal Healers Gather For Summit

More than 100 healers from various tribes in the country gathered for the first Indigenous Barefoot Doctors’ National Summit on May 20-21 at the SMX Convention Center at SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.

Garbed in tribal finery, the delegates paraded around the complex on the first day, drawing the attention of mall goers.

With the theme “Indigenous Peoples: Partners in Health and Wellness,” the summit was a venue for the community health workers to share experiences and best practices.

It was also a way for the participants to link up with institutions that could help them address their needs. They also wanted to promote awareness of indigenous peoples and their culture.

The name barefoot doctor refers to non-doctors who have received medical or paramedical training for service in rural communities.

But the so-called barefoot doctors were not in Metro Manila for a cultural feast, but for a serious discussion of health issues that concern their communities, most of which are very remote. Read more about the tribal healers gathering here....


India: Tipaimukh Dam - Development or Destruction

Far away from the idyllic flow of the Tuivai and Tuiruong (Tipaimukh) rivers, authorities cornered in power corridors gave a nod for environmental clearance of the controversial Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric Multipurpose Project.

While South Asia's biggest economy wanted to harness the hydroelectric power, little did the Tipaimukh villagers of the indigenous Hmar people, who would be affected by the foreign decisions, know about the impact of the decisions that has already put a go-ahead stamp for the mega structure to overtake their rivers, land, livelihood, culture and resources.

Their lifeline has been made to cut them off from the channels of representation, which should otherwise be made inevitable when they would be directly affected by the decision that was passed without their knowledge. The power of the decision makers who are not aware about their independent survival cultures would go a long way to usher a turbulent change that would negate the chance of their survival and continuity as people.

Tuiruong, the river that feeds their everyday life, interlinks them with their tribesmen in the upper stream as well as the down stream would be dammned in the name of development that has remain elusive in their life. The indigenous Hmar people, once again, realised that they are being excluded from control over the decisions and regulative institutions that will not only change the course of the river, but also their life. Read more about the Tipaimukh Dam project here....


Nigeria: Shell Settles Human Rights Suit For $15.5 Million

Royal Dutch Shell agreed to a $15.5 million settlement Monday to end a lawsuit alleging that the oil giant was complicit in the executions of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and other civilians by Nigeria's former military regime.

Shell, which continues to operate in Nigeria, said it agreed to settle the lawsuit in hopes aiding the "process of reconciliation." But Europe's largest oil company acknowledged no wrongdoing in the 1995 hanging deaths of six people, including Saro-Wiwa.

"This gesture also acknowledges that, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place, the plaintiffs and others have suffered," Malcolm Brinded, Shell's Executive Director Exploration & Production, said in a statement.

The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York claimed Shell colluded with the country's former military government to silence environmental and human rights activists in the country's Ogoni region. The oil-rich district sits in the southern part of Nigeria and is roughly the size of San Antonio. Shell started operating there in 1958. Read more about Shell's settlement here....


New Zealand: Speech Notes: Shearer - Discussion on Super City

In the last few weeks I have been travelling around the communities of Mt Albert.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of people.

And the theme that has come up again and again is that Mt Albert people want this to be about communities.

We have been listening to people while others came in and played politics.

The difference between us and them is that the others wouldn’t listen to what the community wanted.

They imposed their motorway.

And they wouldn’t let the community have a say on the future of the Super City.

This is about listening and about strong communities.

I support strong regional government, but I also support a form of government that makes for stronger communities.

A giant super city with no adequate community representation won’t work for communities.

A strong layer of regional government is needed for regional parks.

It’s needed for an integrated transport system - one where you can buy a single ticket to get across the city on a train, bus or ferry.

A transport system that better uses our rail corridors and moves more commuter traffic off roads.

This is the strong regional government that I support.

It’s not what we’ve been given in the government’s proposal. Read more of the speech here....

Last weeks Five Key Indigenous People's Issues can be found here.

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