La Pandemia del COVID-19: Una Enfermedad del Poder
Este año y el presente siglo llevarán el signo, para quienes hemos podido resistir la pandemia, como el tiempo en donde perdimos a muchos sabios y hombres de medicina de los pueblos originarios por causa del coronavirus. Sin embargo, la historia de los pueblos indígenas es perenne. A lo largo de los diversos siglos que llevamos en resistencia, hemos enfrentado catastróficas enfermedades introducidas por los conquistadores hasta la actualidad. En nuestra memoria como pueblos están grabadas la memoria de la muerte de cientos de miles de hermanos que fueron arrasados por enfermedades como el sarampión, la viruela, taguardillu, las mismas que fueron responsables del exterminio de una gran parte de los pueblos indígenas del continente americano. En combinación con la esclavitud y la conquista, estas enfermedades fueron un arma de la conquista para someter a las poblaciones que se resistían y luchaban contra la invasión. El historiador W. George Lovell, reconoció el peso de esta tragedia para los pueblos americanos: “Entre los pueblos indígenas que poblaban todas las tierras de América, desde Canadá hasta la Tierra del Fuego, la penetración europea en el nuevo mundo provocó un colapso demográfico que con toda probabilidad fue el más catastrófico en la historia de la humanidad” En la actualidad estamos afrontando una nueva amenaza biológica, esta vez provocada por la misma mano del ser humano que no se detiene en su destrucción de los ecosistemas y de la biodiversidad. La Pandemia del COVID 19, aparecida originalmente en la ciudad de Wuhan en China, se expandió sin control a todos los continentes y llegó al Ecuador en marzo de 2020. Desde su aparición, miles de familias han perdido a sus seres queridos, miles de niños y jóvenes han quedado en la orfandad. Finalmente, el COVID-19 traspasó nuestras fronteras y se instaló en nuestros territorios. Es allí que los pueblos indígenas amazónicos hemos debido, nuevamente afrontar por nuestra propia cuenta esta renovada amenaza que viene desde el mundo del capital. En este momento, los pueblos originarios estamos desplegando iniciativas para combatir el COVID-19 desde nuestro propio manejo del conocimiento, del manejo de las plantas y de la medicina ancestral. Desde el momento en que esta enfermedad arribó a los territorios amazónicos, las organizaciones y comunidades de varios pueblos y nacionalidades empezamos a generar iniciativas para dar respuestas. Los pueblos amazónicos somos conocedores del SACHA RUNA YACHAY y mientras los gobiernos y las grandes empresas farmacéuticas han callado y demorado su respuesta frente al avance de la pandemia, la iniciativa de nuestros pueblos para la prevención y la contención de la enfermedad ha ido de la mano del conocimiento comunitario, el mismo que hemos aplicado, como parte de nuestros saberes, y de esta manera hemos salvado muchas vidas de hermanos contagiados. También hemos debido ser testigos de la partida de muchos que no hemos podido salvar y se han ido al otro mundo. Mientras nosotros vivíamos este proceso, es inevitable preguntar ¿Dónde estuvo el Estado y las autoridades de salud?. Pues, como siempre, el Estado ecuatoriano estuvo ausente. La carencia de atención médica ha sido tan notoria que mientras nuestros hermanos enfermaban, del Estado sólo se escuchaban los grandes escándalos de corrupción y robo; entonces, a la hora de responder esta pregunta, hemos dicho: “El Estado no ha estado en los territorios de los pueblos indígenas, el Estado ha estado solo para ROBAR los recursos de los territorios, los recursos de la madre tierra: el petróleo, la minería, la madera y otros. En mi propio cuerpo sentí la impotencia de la situación; al sexto día de los síntomas de la enfermedad sentí la angustia de ver cómo el virus se multiplicaba en mi cuerpo y como se propagaba a otros miembros de mi familia. No teníamos a dónde acudir. Todos los hospitales y centros médicos en las ciudades habían colapsado. Mi padre, Marco Fidel Santi Gualinga, de 84 años de edad, era la persona que daba las directrices para usar las plantas medicinales. Él se contagió enfermo y no pude salvarlo. Resistió hasta el noveno día y murió. No hubo disponible un solo vuelo en avioneta de emergencia para que pudiera acudir a un hospital. En ese momento, tomamos la decisión de contactarnos con nuestros amigos y con las organizaciones de la sociedad civil; por ejemplo con la organización Land Is Life que significa Tierra es Vida, con el Consejo de Operaciones Wankavilkas de Emergencia (COWE) del hermano pueblo indígena de la costa ecuatoriana, y con otras ONG’s y amigos que trabajan en el tema de los derechos indígenas y los derechos de la madre tierra. Así logramos gestionar en conjunto algunos insumos médicos como oxígeno de emergencia, fármacos para controlar los síntomas, entre otros materiales con los que procedimos a combinar su uso junto con nuestras plantas medicinales para combatir el COVID-19. De esta manera, empezamos a compartir nuestra experiencia, y generamos proceso de cooperación muy interesante con otros hermanos de otras latitudes. La Cuenca Amazónica ha sido el espacio donde la pandemia se expandió aceleradamente. Poblaciones enteras se contagiaron mientras en los centros de salud no había ni el personal, ni los insumos suficientes para responder a la Pandemia. Gracias a la cooperación y al conocimiento sobre la medicina de los pueblos Indígenas, hemos creado brigadas y formado personas que trabajan voluntariamente para reducir el impacto de la enfermedad en nuestro territorio. En mi comunidad, Sarayaku, cada domingo vienen a mi casa Patricio Aranda y Fausto Aranda para darme de tomar medicina tradicional. Después de esta pandemia hemos aprendido a valorar mucho más nuestro conocimiento, hemos aprendido a luchar juntos, hemos aprendido a hacer comunitario el cuidado de todos, y también hemos aprendido a sincerarnos, a darnos cuenta que los gobiernos de los Estados están ausentes a la hora de cumplir nuestros derechos y sólo han venido a nuestros territorios para robar y dañar a la madre tierra. Hemos aprendido la unidad, la cooperación con otros hermanos del mundo, hemos aprendido que es urgente y necesario seguir protegiendo la selva, la madre tierra,
Indigenous Peoples Day Webinar: Current challenges and proposals for the future
In honor of this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Day, join Land is Life partners and Board members next Friday for a virtual conversation on the state of Indigenous peoples’ rights and the challenges and opportunities they face in the future. Register Today!
Stop The Evictions Of Ogiek Peoples From Their Ancestral Lands In Kenya’s Mau Forest
On July 10th 2020, more than 100 officers from the Kenya Forest Service and Kenya’s Police evicted over a hundred Ogiek families from their ancestral lands, at the eastern part of Mau Forest in the Rift Valley of Kenya. These evictions started at the end of June despite an 2017 African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights ruling that the Ogiek should not be displaced from their lands. Traditional houses/structures were demolished and Ogiek communities, especially children, are now homeless and still recovering from the shock and injuries from these brutal evictions, while being accommodated by their neighbouring kinsmens. The Ogiek are one of the last groups of hunter-gatherers in Kenya and have a leading role as guardians of their local ecosystem, conserving and protecting land and natural resources in the Mau Forest. The evictions take place as COVID-19 pandemic numbers keep rising in Kenya, with more than 13,771 confirmed cases and 238 deaths by Monday July 20th. The displacement from their lands only increases the vulnerabilities of Ogiek communities altogether to the risk of contagion, as social distancing and other preventive measures cannot currently be applied. Throughout the eviction crisis, Land is Life´s long time partner Ogiek Peoples Development Program (OPDP), has been receiving distress calls from the affected members of the community to intervene and tried to reach out for government offices to no avail, as fears of new evictions begin to soar amongst an already traumatized population. Over 300 Ogiek infrastructures were destroyed during the evictions. Land is Life firmly stands in solidarity with the Ogiek Peoples, and calls on the Kenyan government to immediately stop evictions and respect the 2017 African Court of Human and Peoples Rights ruling that ensures their inalienable right to live in their ancestral lands at the Mau Forest. Kenya and other governments in Africa must recognize and protect indigenous land and cultural rights without hesitation. As the humanitarian crisis provoked by evictions worsens day by day amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent support is needed. Land is Life will allocate all of these week’s proceedings to provide humanitarian relief to the displaced Ogiek communities through our trusted partners.
Climate In Finland: Land Is Life, Snowchange & Allies Secure Significant Carbon Sink
Land is Life, Snowchange and the Landscape Rewilding Programme partnered to secure Kivisuo, a biodiversity hotspot of 1,517 acres – it is an intact boreal peatland / marshmire, as well as a major carbon sink in the Sub-Arctic in Finland. Since 2018, Land is Life and Snowchange have joined forces to support Indigenous and community-led conservation work in the Arctic. Based in Finland, Snowchange runs the Landscape Rewilding Programme, an initiative that empowers local Indigenous communities working to secure key locations, ecosystems and habitats for restoration, rewilding and conservation. Supporting communities is a matter of essence, so that their land rights and equitable conservation management are fully met according to their needs. Kivisuo (“Marshmire of Stones”) is a biodiversity hotspot of 1,517 acres located in the villages of Muhos and Utajärvi in Sub-Arctic Finland. The Kivisuo site is part of a 20 kilometer-wide string of boreal peatlands which is also a major carbon storage ( accumulated since the last Ice Age), and a natural carbon sink. This means that Kivisuo actively stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus alleviating climate change which is at this moment altering the Arctic in profound ways. Whilst Kivisuo is important internationally for climate and carbon, it will not solve all the issues of climate change in the Arctic alone. However, this is a major step forward for local indigenous communities who are dependent on the site for their well-being, traditional knowledge and traditional land uses, such as hunting, berry picking and water protection. Kivisuo is also considered of European-level importance, due to the biodiversity it contains, including breeding habitats of rare waders and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). ”Kivisuo is a symbol of the change we need in the north, to secure intact habitats for communities and to fulfil their rights in conservation, to rewild and restore past damages and to increase natural carbon sinks wherever we can so that both humans and non-humans will have a fighting chance for their future. Such places also contain all the knowledge and natural solutions to address the crisis of our times”, says Tero Mustonen, Snowchange’s current President and Land is Life Arctic Coordinator. He continues: “I wish to thank Land is Life and Roland Göhde in Germany for their unwavering actions during the extremely complex process of securing Kivisuo for safety. The role of Land is Life was critical and represents the important role of supporting Indigenous-led action for the Planet, when the need arises”.
Land Is Life Welcomes Four New Members To Its Board Of Directors
Land is Life proudly announces the appointment of four new members with extensive knowledge and experience on the rights of Indigenous peoples to its Board of Directors. Joining the Board are Marcos Terena, Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine and Cecilia Baltazar Yucailla, Indigenous leaders from Brazil, Mali and Ecuador respectively, along with climate change and bio-cultural diversity scholar Gleb Raygorodetsky. “Our newest Board members embody the spirit of Indigenous rights causes throughout the world and bring their knowledge and experience to our Board. This is an important moment in our history and we are very fortunate to have them as we continue to strengthen Land is Life´s global grassroots work”, says Casey Box, Executive Director. Land is Life´s Board of Directors brings together Indigenous leaders and activists from various fields of expertise, who are deeply committed to the cause of defending and protecting Indigenous peoples’ rights and territories throughout the world. Mariano Marcos Terena, one of the founders of Land is Life, is a son of the Xane’ Pueblo. Born in Brazil in 1954, Marcos has devoted his life to working and organizing for the rights of Indigenous peoples and for the Earth itself. In 1977, Marcos co-founded the first Indigenous political movement in Brazil, the Union of Indigenous Nations, and played a critical role in achieving recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights in the Brazilian Constitution. Marcos was the organizer of the historic World Conference of Indigenous Peoples on Territories, Environment and Development (1992), and the World Indigenous Games (2018). Marcos is also a founding member of the Inter-Tribal Committee, the International Alliance of Indigenous-Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, and the Brazilian Indigenous Institute for Intellectual Property. About his new role as a member of the board, Marcos comments: “One of our biggest challenges is that national governments still need to recognize Indigenous peoples within their environmental and territorial universe, and their right for a secure habitat in relation to the future. In Brazil, we have over 300 existing Indigenous societies and we need to protect their rights to guarantee their cultural and traditional strengthening. When we understand the experiences of Indigenous peoples in their territories, we are building alternatives to improve the general quality of life for all in the modern world. Land is Life is one of the most important international organizations supporting human rights of Indigenous Peoples, and it’s an unique operational force comprised of Indigenous and non-indigenous volunteers and activists.” Dr. Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine is a Tuareg woman from Timbuktu. She is a medical doctor from the University of Tizi-Ouzou and holds a Master in Humanitarian Action from the University of Geneva, focusing on interventions in crisis situations. Mariam is a member of Tin Hinane, a nomadic women’s association working for the defense, promotion and development of Indigenous peoples in the Sahel-Sahara region in Africa. In 2016 she founded the Association Tin Hinan Canada, which focuses on education and building bridges among nations and communities. She has joined the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples for the last six years serving for two consecutive years as chair. Currently, Mariam focuses her advocacy on improving the living conditions of the Indigenous Tuareg peoples. She is also a guest speaker and independent consultant on Indigenous People’s issues. “One of the major challenges in working and organizing for IP´s rights in Africa is the lack of recognition of Indigenous Peoples. In my own subregion, the Sahel-Sahara, there is an ongoing eight-year conflict. The instability of the political situation has led to a chronic and complex insecurity problem, that is undermining any progress in the promotion and implementation of Indigenous Peoples rights. There is a need for better involvement of Indigenous Peoples in peacebuilding processes in a constructive way. In some other regions in the world like Asia, Indigenous Peoples face the same issue of non recognition, leading to a lack of inclusion in all levels of national and regional institutions. By joining Land is Life, I would like to bring my vision as a Tuareg woman and to promote my people’s and other Indigenous Peoples’ rights, in particular in the areas of traditional knowledge, well-being and health”, says Mariam about her expectations after becoming a member of the Board. Cecilia Baltazar Yucailla is a Kichwa Indigenous leader from the community of Chibuleo San Francisco in Ecuador. She holds a Master’s degree in Constitutional Law and has been a long-time advocate for the collective rights of Indigenous peoples and nationalities. As an expert in intercultural Indigenous justice and the rights of nature, Cecilia currently works as an advisor to the Constitutional Court of Ecuador. Asked about her new role on Land is Life´s board, Cecilia says: “The intensive exploitation of natural resources within territories of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities, is one of our most serious problems now. Therefore, It’s essential to promote training processes of grassroots Indigenous leaders so that they can be the guarantors of collective rights, given constant violations by state institutions and companies. Each Indigenous nationality needs to strengthen their knowledge and experiences in the exercise of collective rights, and make efforts to influence state institutions to design and implement public policies that guarantee them. I am really happy to bring my experience in constitutional and Indigenous intercultural justice to Land is Life, and on supporting Indigenous authorities in the judicial proceedings undertaken against the State with the aim of protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and nationalities.” Dr. Gleb Raygorodetsky is an award-winning author, adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta and a Research Affiliate with the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, at the University of Victoria. Born and raised in a coastal village in Kamchatka, Russia, Gleb is a biocultural heritage expert, with over two decades of experience in the areas of Indigenous community-based conservation, climate change resilience, and philanthropy. He has written about Indigenous peoples around the world in a number of magazines, including Cultural Survival, Alternatives and National Geographic and is the author of “Archipelago of Hope”, and “Gwich’in Words About the
Land Is Life Calls On The Nepalese Government To Respect The Rights Of Newar People
Land is Life stands in solidarity with the Indigenous Newar peoples and communities in Khokana and Bungamati in Nepal, as they struggle against the threat of displacement from their territories, livelihoods, and cultural and historical sites in the Kathmandu Valley, south of the Nepalese capital. The Newar people of Khokana are one of those still maintaining their distinct identity, cultures and traditions in Nepal. Last April, affected communities and Indigenous rights groups had called on UNESCO, ILO and UN Nepal offices to take actions against the forced displacement of the Newar in Khokana and Bungamati due to Fast-Track highway and other projects. Communities in Khokana and adjoining Bungamati have been protesting against the construction of the Fast-Track highway by the Nepalese army, but also the extensive developments for the new so called ´smart city´ full of modern facilities like the Outer Ring Road and other planned infrastructure projects, as they fear half a dozen projects will displace entire communities from the the area and the government has confirmed that there will be no compensation for the land affected by the project. Community leaders have submitted countless complaints (including 23 demands to the government) and organized various demonstrations that have been responded to with police repression, as local and national authorities have failed to effectively address communities’ demands. On July 3rd, Indigenous Newar farmers in Khokana, supported by human rights activists from across Kathmandu valley, organized a paddy plantation in the lands acquired for the Fast-Track expressway as a form of peaceful resistance. When the police tried to disperse them, it eventually led to clashes whereby over a dozen protestors and four police personnel were injured. “We were over 1,000 people. We were carrying our musical instruments and were going to transplant paddy, but police interfered aggressively,” said Karma Maharjan, a resident, as local media reports. Leaders say they are not against development, but uprooting communities from their territories is unacceptable. Land is Life condemns the repression of peaceful Indigenous-led demonstrations and calls on the Nepalese government to unequivocally respect the inalienable rights of Newar and all Indigenous peoples and their territories, to protect their cultural and historical sites, and to reconsider development projects that are negatively impacting all communities in the Kathmandu Valley. Land is Life’s Regional Coordinator has visited the impacted territories and we have partnered via our Indigenous-Led Grants to support grassroots organizations confronting this challenge, we invite you to join us.
Remarks by Mr. Brian Keane, Rapporteur of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 9 August 2019 Remarks by Mr. Brian Keane, Rapporteur of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. LIU Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of Economic and Social Affairs, Chief Thompson, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen I am honoured to be here today to celebrate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with the theme of Indigenous Languages. On behalf of the members of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, I would like to thank the General Assembly for proclaiming 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. This has brought significant attention to the urgent need to promote, revitalize and strengthen indigenous languages. There are between 6,000 and 7,000 oral languages in the world today, most of them spoken by very few individuals. It is estimated that approximately half of the world’s languages will become extinct by the year 2100. Most of these will be indigenous languages. More than 50 percent of the world’s indigenous peoples are in danger of losing their languages. Data clearly show that this devastating trend is occurring all over the world: In Latin America, UNICEF estimates that one fifth of the indigenous communities no longer speak their languages; one fourth, of the indigenous languages of the region are in danger of extinction. In the United States of America, only four Yuchi-speaking elders remain. They are all over 90 years old. For the Tjwao / San people in Zimbabwe – In a population of about 2500, only a dozen elders between the ages of 65-95 now speak and understand their language. These are only a few examples. There are, unfortunately, many more. If this trend is allowed to continue, the children and grandchildren of the majority of this generation of indigenous peoples will NOT speak their Mother tongues. This is among the most critical issues that indigenous peoples face today, as it is language that allows indigenous peoples to express their histories and traditions and to transmit their knowledge to future generations. The loss of indigenous languages is exacerbated by ongoing conflicts over natural resources, destruction of indigenous peoples’ livelihoods, and forced relocation from their ancestral territories. This is intensified by assimilationist policies where indigenous peoples are required to adopt the cultures and languages of the dominant population. The lack of legal recognition of indigenous languages often results in prejudicial treatment and disadvantages for indigenous peoples, in particular in the areas of education, health and access to services. More often than not, indigenous languages are not taught in schools. In fact, in some countries indigenous children are still forcibly removed from their families and sent to boarding schools, where not only are they forbidden from speaking their languages, but they often also suffer physical, mental and even sexual abuse. This is unconscionable. We know from the history of boarding schools in the United States and Australia; we know from the work of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was headed by Chief Wilton Littlechild and which spent over five years gathering evidence and listening to the testimony of over 7000 residential school survivors, that the purpose of these institutions is to destroy the cultural identities of indigenous children. We can and must do better than this. Indigenous languages cannot be revitalized in a vacuum. Protection of indigenous peoples’ languages requires protection of their lands, territories and resources. It requires recognition of all of their rights, as laid out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Cultural and language rights are indivisible from all of the other rights of indigenous peoples, and are critical to the implementation of the Declaration – as committed to by Member States at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014. Central to all of these rights, and key to the protection of indigenous languages, is indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination, which includes their right to freely pursue their own economic, social and cultural development, to self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, and their right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions (as stated in articles. 3, 4 and 5). Further, to preserve and revitalize their languages, indigenous peoples must be able to establish and control their own educational systems and institutions, and have access to education in their own languages (as stated in articles 13 and 14). Indigenous languages have been developed over millenia and are inextricably linked to the lands, waters, territories and resources of the peoples that speak them. Each language represents a unique framework for understanding the world in all its intricacies and represents a complex system of knowledge that is vital for sustaining the Earth’s biological diversity, for finding effective responses to the challenges presented by global climate change, for maintaining the ecological integrity of the world’s remaining intact ecosystems and for ensuring long-term global health and food security. Each time a language dies, so too does a wealth of unique ecological, economic, pharmacological, cultural and spiritual knowledge. The consequences affect all of us. As the great Marcos Terena, a Xané man from Brazil, said when speaking to the world’s governments at the Earth Summit in 1992 – “the future of indigenous peoples, is the future of humanity”. So we cannot be complacent. We must all acknowledge that much more needs to be done. We must accelerate our efforts towards the full and effective implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In closing, I reiterate the call of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to proclaim a Decade on Indigenous Languages. We are joined in this call by the other indigenous-specific UN mechanisms – the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples. Looking to the future, I urge you all to be bold, to invest in inclusive, rights-based approaches to sustainable development that go far beyond 2030, and to
Land is Life Condemns “Decree 751” Which Threatens Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park
According to data collected and presented by Land is Life in the 18th United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNFPII), there are a total of 185 records of Indigenous Peoples Living in Isolation (PIAV) in South America, of which 66 are confirmed and 119 are pending confirmation. In 2007, the Ecuadorian government established a Plan of Precautionary Measures for the Protection of Isolated Indigenous Peoples. The plan mandated the creation of the Tataeri Taromenane Intangible Zone (ZITT), within the Yasuní National Park and defined a 10km diameter buffer zone. The objective was to avoid development activities, mainly extractive, that put at risk the integrity of the ZITT and the people living therein. In the following year, in a referendum to the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, the State explicitly recognized the existence of Isolated Peoples and their fundamental rights. The state declared their territories an “irreducible ancestral possession” and intangible, banning all forms of extractive activity. These initiatives elevated Ecuador as a leader in the defense and protection of the PIAV. However, the state’s declaration did not lead to any progress, and even now, Ecuador has no public policy codifying the protection of isolated indigenous peoples. In addition, numerous official measures have been taken that put at risk the protection of these peoples including: Constant reduction of human and financial resources; Postponement of the development of public policy for the protection of PIAV; Absence of effective protection initiatives for PIAV and their territories in the face of threats from oil activities, directly promoted by the Ecuadorian State with capital from China, Spain and Ecuador; Expansion of the agricultural and colonization frontiers, exposing the PIAV to surrounding populations; Local governments are creating roads and infrastructure adjacent to PIAV populations without proper consultation. The current administration has further weakened the ability of government agencies to manage and execute the protection of the PIAV by merging the Directorate of Isolated Peoples with the National Secretariate for Policy Management – diluting the original agency’s power and removing their independence. The new organization is now exposed to political pressure by parties who have publically declared their interests to be in opposition to those of the Indigenous Peoples. Map showing impacts of Decree 751 On May 21, 2019, the government passed Executive Decree 751. This decree is unconstitutional and contradicts the result of the government organized Popular Consultation in February of 2018 and further demonstrates their anti-protection agenda. While Article 2 expands the ZITT by 60,450 hectares, Article 3, then places PIAV in a vulnerable position since it allows the construction of “platforms of hydrocarbon production” in the buffer zone of the ZITT – an invasion that was previously prohibited. On top of intruding on the protected area, such platforms harm the environment, pollute the soil and water, and disturb the ecological system that peoples in isolation depend on. Many scientific studies affirm and verify the presence of these populations outside the ZITT, however, Decree 751 deliberately ignores these studies, even though they have been widely disseminated. Decree 751 threatens the physical and social integrity of the PIAV that inhabit the interior of Yasuní Park, violating the international standards of protection of the fundamental rights of these peoples. Land is Life makes a public call to action and affirms the countless scientific studies and articles published nationally and internationally, urging the Ecuadorian State to: Convene civil society, through indigenous and allied organizations, for public consultation within the framework of the provisions of Convention 169 of the ILO, to define the Public Policy of Protection for the PIAV; Revoke Decree 751 and accept the original mandate of the referendum, that the constitutional precepts be enforced in article 57, on irreducible and intangible ancestral possession of their territories, thus prohibiting any type of extractive activity in the buffer zone and within the ZITT; Obey the results of the referendum, in which a large majority responded favorably to the increase of the ZITT and the reduction of oil exploitation in the area.
Land is Life and Snowchange Cooperative Launch Indigenous-Led Grantmaking in the Arctic Supporting Five Grassroots Initiatives in the North American Arctic
In an effort to better address the needs of the Indigenous-rights movement at the grassroots level in the Arctic region, Land is Life has partnered with Snowchange Cooperative, to launch our Indigenous-Led Grantmaking initiative in the North American Arctic (this has included sites also in the Boreal and Subarctic). Indigenous-Led Grantmaking is an approach developed by Land is Life and its global network to provide support for their self-determination through small, flexible funds to grassroots Indigenous leaders, communities, and organizations around the globe. For this regional pilot initiative, Tero Mustonen of Snowchange Cooperative, a trusted Indigenous leader of the Community of Selkie, a traditional village in North Karelia, Finland, identified small, yet important initiatives within the North American Arctic and will work with recipients to monitor, evaluate and report in a way that recognizes their unexpected and frequently changing circumstances and upholds their right to self-determination. Additionally, Snowchange has been conducting a wide-ranging climate change, wellbeing and youth-oriented initiatives to document climate change impacts and traditional knowledge, identify community-based measures to adapt to those changes and provide culturally-appropriate mechanisms for transfer of Indigenous knowledge, culture and ways of life to youth on land at the same time. Land is Life has agreed to collaborate on and co-sponsor an event organized by Snowchange Cooperative which will convene an intergenerational group of Indigenous people to share this work and discuss the realities and potential solutions to these new and growing challenges. This new partnership builds off experience in the region through our long-term capacity building partnership with the Gwich’in Steering Committee which has been supported through NoVo Foundation. INDIGENOUS-LED GRANTS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN ARCTIC: Tahltan Community Based Monitoring ProgrammeIndigenous Organization: Tū’dese̲’chō Wholistic Indigenous Leadership Development Society Location: Northern British Columbia and Yukon, Canada This proposal addresses a part of the North American north which is often excluded from Arctic cooperation due to its location at the BC-Yukon borderlands. It is also a central location for the pristine Stikine watershed. There are no land claims in place and the people are interested in advancing steps towards Indigenous sovereignty and progressive climate work. The proposal will organize a community meeting, take first steps in CBM monitoring and engage local schools and scientists. The LIL grant funding will allow hunters, youth, and Elders to participate in the overall mission and a more level dialogue with science and governmental parts of a monitoring mission. Atlas Mapping ProjectIndigenous Organization: Hamlet of Chesterfield InletLocation: Nunavut, Canada This hamlet wishes to start creating an online atlas of traditional land uses place names, ecology, and archaeology. Of special interest is the focus on caribou as a keystone species. It is recommended that a seed fund is provided from the LIL grant to focus specifically on Elder’s knowledge documentation. Inuinnaqtun Mentor-Apprentice ProjectIndigenous Organization: Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage SocietyLocation: Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada This mentor-apprentice program proposal addresses a real and urgent need. The speakers of Inuinnaqtun are being affected by rapid cultural change and despite the success of Nunavut as an Inuit-led territory on other fields, it is true that the linguistic revitalization is doing poorly. Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq also points correctly to the fact that worldviews, key Indigenous cultural concepts and relationships with the land can only be expressed in Inuinnaqtun. Unangax Plants as Foods and Medicine Symposium Indigenous Organization: ALEUTIAN PRIBILOF ISLANDS ASSOCIATION, INCLocation: Unalaska, Alaska This project wishes to convey Unangax Indigenous knowledge at an event designed to revitalize and promote the traditional plant knowledge of the community. This work includes linguistic terms of plants, revitalization of traditional knowledge and documentation of existing knowledge, making plant salves and other healing elements, preservation of foods and herbal teas. The project is led by a respected Aleut organization and the plan is solid and credible. Painting the Future of Unalakleet Weather: Merging Science, Indigenous Knowledge and Inupiaq Youth Voices for Community Climate Assessment Indigenous Organization: Unalakleet Community Location: Unalakleet, Alaska Unalakleet is the hub of the Norton Sound communities and the center of the Bering Strait School District. The region according to the proposal suffers from intensifying impacts on the coastal erosion, storm events and temperature changes. The project participants, representing citizens and members of the Inupiaq population of Unalakleet are proposing to finding solutions through Indigenous knowledge and science. The project will produce a first-ever science paper of Inupiaq knowledge from Unalakleet and weather data of the baseline changes, western science assessment of the urgent issues on Norton Sound and a “visions of the future” youth Indigenous arts action for allowing the youngest to express their views on the changes underway. International Snowchange Co-op is providing co-funds and the Bering Sea School District will work on the project youth aspect (initial agreement in April 2019).
Land is Life to Present New Report on the State of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in the Amazon at the United Nations
Tomorrow afternoon, Land is Life will convene a panel discussion featuring Alicia Cahuiya (Leader of the Waorani Nation of Ecuador), Maria Quispe (Executive Director of Wataniba), Brian Keane (Rapporteur of the Permanent Forum), and Antenor Vaz (Expert on Peoples Living in Isolation from Brazil). The panel will discuss the findings of a report featured in the BBC today, which details the current situation and potential threats to the lands and territories of Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in the Amazon and El Chaco regions. The report was developed with contributions from 10 Indigenous organizations from the region. It provides a clear overview of the status of land rights recognition for these groups, as well as maps that identify the extractive and development projects that threaten those lands and territories. The report additionally analyses the opportunities to protect the lives of community members and biocultural diversity of their lands and territories.