Challenges to Indigenous Longevity

Indigenous communities, peoples and nations are those which, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, and may consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing on those territories, or parts of them. They form at present non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity, as the basis of their continued existence as peoples, in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal system.

This historical continuity may consist of the continuation, for an extended period reaching into the present of one or more of the following factors:

• Occupation of ancestral lands, or at least of part of them

• Common ancestry with the original occupants of these lands

• Culture in general, or in specific manifestations (such as religion, living under a tribal system, membership of an indigenous community, dress, means of livelihood, lifestyle, etc.)

• Language (whether used as the only language, as mother-tongue, as the habitual means of communication at home or in the family, or as the main, preferred, habitual, general or normal language)

• Residence in certain parts of the country, or in certain regions of the world

• Other relevant factors.

• On an individual basis, an indigenous person is one who belongs to these indigenous populations through self-identification as indigenous (group consciousness) and is recognized and accepted by these populations as one of its members (acceptance by the group). This preserves for these communities the sovereign right and power to decide who belongs to them, without external interference.

Our stewardship practices have preserved the earth’s precious resources for millennia, but because of the richness of our lands, our people are under attack.

THE THREATS

External threats to Indigenous Peoples take two forms:

ACTIVE THREATS:

● State discrimination, such as withholding citizenship or rights afforded other citizens, the tactical use of violence to intimidate and control, and legislation that defines basic Indigenous activities as illegal and punishable by imprisonment, torture and death.

● Eviction from our native lands, carried out by governments, so that our assets can be exploited by outside interests.

● The physical removal or “stripping” of our natural assets, including mineral resources, timber, water, and agricultural lands for business interests. Not only does this process impoverish the land on which we depend for sustenance, it also destroys our sacred sites and upsets the ecological balance that forms the foundation of our cultures.

● Eviction from our native territories in the name of conservation. Despite the fact that our lands remain intact and healthy because of our continued stewardship, outside conservation efforts have led to the eviction of millions of Indigenous people in order to create “pristine,” human-free protected areas.

● Exploitation of intellectual property, such as our stories, traditional ways and artwork, without compensation because we do not have access to patents or other legal framework for ownership.

PASSIVE THREATS:

● Few countries recognize Indigenous Peoples as legitimate groups, leading to our exclusion from political forums in which to defend our rights.

● Denial of access to legal avenues to secure and defend our rights. Many governments have laws to protect Indigenous Peoples, but they are not enforced or the legal process required in order to benefit from them is prohibitively difficult (such as the right to hunt on our lands requiring a 15-hour drive to a capital city in order to apply for a short-term permit).

● Exclusion from philanthropic, state and charitable funding and support. Less than .01% of all development funding goes directly to Indigenous communities. The funding that is intended to benefit Indigenous Peoples is placed in the hands of outsiders who often do not act in our best interest, or simply do not understand what we need.

● Benign neglect by civil society. The willful ignorance of the global public leaves a dearth of political will to address the urgent problems facing Indigenous Peoples.

VIOLENCE

Indigenous people are often beaten or killed during evictions, or to intimidate them into giving up their rights. Their homes are burned and their property destroyed. Violence is more prevalent in resettlement situations, where Indigenous people are forced to compete for limited resources. Indigenous women and children are often more likely to be raped than other groups because of their less-than-human status in the dominant culture.

POVERTY

When assets are stripped, or the benefits of those assets are diverted outside of a community, the community becomes impoverished. Indigenous Peoples suffer higher rates of poverty, homelessness and malnutrition. They have lower levels of literacy and less access to health services, further contributing to their poverty.

• Indigenous Peoples constitute about 5% of the world’s population, yet they account for about 15% of the world’s poor

• Indigenous people make up the poorest demographic in every single country in Latin America.

• In Guatemala 86.6% of indigenous people are poor, and in Mexico 80.6% of them are poor.

• In some countries, the poverty gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations is widening.

• Living conditions on Canadian Indian reserves are at the same level as those in a country with a ranking of 78 on the UN Human Development Index. Canada as a whole ranks #6.

• Poverty leads to desperation. In Thailand, more than 40% of Indigenous girls and women who migrate to cities work in the sex trade. The majority of females trafficked across state borders in south-east Asia are from Indigenous communities.

HEALTH

Indigenous health systems are intimately linked to the health of the ecosystem, both physical and spiritual. When our environment is destroyed or we are removed from it, our ability to obtain these necessities collapses. Health indicators for Indigenous populations versus national rates within their countries of residence indicate the following conclusions:

• Indigenous people have the same infectious diseases but at much higher rates.

• HIV/AIDS is disproportionately higher among Indigenous people, especially women.

• Endemic diseases such as yaws and leprosy are more prevalent, and more likely to be severe and frequently fatal.

• Chronic diseases—such as diabetes and heart disease—are more prevalent.

• Increased alcoholism and violence are linked to evictions and resettlement.