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reasonsforhope · 11 months

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For years, the people of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation watched over their waters and waited. They had spent nearly two decades working with Canada’s federal government to negotiate protections for Kitasu Bay, an area off the coast of British Columbia that was vulnerable to overfishing.

But the discussions never seemed to go anywhere. First, they broke down over pushback from the fishing industry, then over a planned oil tanker route directly through Kitasoo/Xai’xais waters.

“We were getting really frustrated with the federal government. They kept jumping onboard and then pulling out,” says Douglas Neasloss, the chief councillor and resource stewardship director of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation. “Meanwhile, we’d been involved in marine planning for 20 years – and we still had no protected areas.”

Instead, the nation watched as commercial overfishing decimated the fish populations its people had relied on for thousands of years.

Nestled on the west coast of Swindle Island, approximately 500km north of Vancouver, Kitasu Bay is home to a rich array of marine life: urchins and abalone populate the intertidal pools, salmon swim in the streams and halibut take shelter in the deep waters. In March, herring return to spawn in the eelgrass meadows and kelp forests, nourishing humpback whales, eagles, wolves and bears.

“Kitasu Bay is the most important area for the community – that’s where we get all of our food,” Neasloss says. “It’s one of the last areas where you still get a decent spawn of herring.”

So in December 2021, when the Department of Fisheries and Oceans withdrew from discussions once again, the nation decided to act. “My community basically said, ‘We’re tired of waiting. Let’s take it upon ourselves to do something about it,’” Neasloss says.

What they did was unilaterally declare the creation of a new marine protected area (MPA). In June 2022, the nation set aside 33.5 sq km near Laredo Sound as the new Gitdisdzu Lugyeks (Kitasu Bay) MPA – closing the waters of the bay to commercial and sport fishing.

It is a largely unprecedented move. While other marine protected areas in Canada fall under the protection of the federal government through the Oceans Act, Kitasu Bay is the first to be declared under Indigenous law, under the jurisdiction and authority of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation.

Pictured: "In some ways, I hope someone challenges us" … the Kitasoo/Xai’xais stewardship authority.

Although they did not wait for government approval, the Kitasoo did consult extensively: the declaration was accompanied by a draft management plan, finalised in October after three months of consultation with industry and community stakeholders. But the government did not provide feedback during that period, according to Neasloss, beyond an acknowledgment that it had received the plan...

Approximately 95% of British Columbia is unceded: most First Nations in the province of British Columbia never signed treaties giving up ownership of their lands and waters to the crown. This puts them in a unique position to assert their rights and title, according to Neasloss, who hopes other First Nations will be inspired to take a similarly proactive approach to conservation...

Collaboration remains the goal, and Neasloss points to a landmark agreement between the Haida nation and the government in 1988 to partner in conserving the Gwaii Haanas archipelago, despite both parties asserting their sovereignty over it. A similar deal was made in 2010 for the region’s 3,400 sq km Gwaii Haanas national marine conservation area.

“They found a way to work together, which is pretty exciting,” says Neasloss. “And I think there may be more Indigenous protected areas that are overlaid with something else.”

-via The Guardian, 5/3/23

#indigenous #indigenous issues #indigenous sovereignty #canada #british columbia #land back #first nations #tribal sovereignty #pacific northwest #marine protected area #conservation #sustainability #overfishing #marine science #canadian government #kitasoo-xai'xais #direct action #good news #hope

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allthecanadianpolitics · 2 months

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The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled that a traditional Wet’suwet’en trespass law cannot “coexist” with the injunction order issued to Coastal GasLink in response to pipeline protests from the nation’s hereditary leadership. As a result, Chief Dsta’hyl, a Wing Chief of the Likhts’amisyu Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation who also goes by Adam Gagnon, was found guilty of criminal contempt in a Smithers courtroom on Tuesday morning. To be found guilty of contempt of court, the prosecution needs to establish that a person is aware of a court order and violated it intentionally. To meet the threshold for criminal contempt, the violations must be public in nature. In making the decision, Justice Michael Tammen rejected a defence argument that could have set precedent in cases involving conflicts between Canadian court orders and Indigenous legal orders. [...] The defence argued that “subjugating Indigenous law to colonial law, when they both form part of the law of the land in Canada, brings the administration of justice into scorn, precisely the consequence that criminal contempt proceedings are meant to punish.”

Tagging @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #wet’suwet’en #coastal gaslink #pipelines #indigenous sovereignty #settler colonialism #injustice

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spaceysoupy · 1 year

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If you’re outside the US and want to help, here are ten things you can do to protect ICWA, Indigenous children, and Tribal Sovereignty as a whole.

Share information about ICWA, Brackeen v Haaland, and Tribal Sovereignty

Share information about rallies, protests, and strategy meetings

Share the donation information of organizations that are fighting to protect ICWA

Donate to those organizations to help them continue to fight

Share the stories of Indigenous adoptees, survivors of residential schools, and the families involved in Brackeen v Haaland

Follow @protectICWA on twitter for live updates

Educate yourself on Tribal Sovereignty, residential schools and the 60s scoop, and cultural genocide as a tool of genocide.

Educate yourself on MMIP/MMIWG2S and familiarize yourself with the tactics those against Tribal Sovereignty use to undermine us.

Learn exactly who is fighting to get rid of ICWA and why. Hint: Gibson Dunn (representing the Brackeens) is the same law firm that supported the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) Now I wonder who benefits from slowly but surely removing Indigenous people from our lands? 🤔

Uplift Indigenous voices that are speaking out and speaking up on ALL platforms. Tell your friends, tell your family, and show up to support us if you can. If ICWA is struck down, we will not be going without a fight. Be prepared.

This linktree has tons of information about ICWA, why it is important, what’s at stake, and what you can do to help. Even simply sharing an article link from here to 10 followers that go on to share to their 10 followers can help!

Every Child Matters 🪶

#icwa #indian child welfare act #us politics #current events #supreme court cases #supreme court #protect icwa #indigenous sovereignty #native american #native american heritage month #native #ndn tumblr #ndn #every child matters #mmiw #mmiwawareness #mmiwg2s

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rebeccathenaturalist · 5 months

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The American bison (Bison bison), once numbering 60 million strong, was very nearly wiped out by disease and hunting in the late 1800s, and by 1889 fewer than 550 individuals remained. Their native range, which once stretched from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, west to Oregon and east just shy of the Atlantic, was reduced to a few pockets here and there. This was a deliberate move on the part of both the U.S. government and the railroad companies to disempower Native American communities on the Great Plains, as the bison was the backbone of their food security as well as being culturally important.

The past couple of decades have seen an increase in bison herds being managed by indigenous people. While the Yakama Nation, based in Washington, was not one of the Great Plains communities, they would travel to where these animals could be found in great herds to hunt them and bring them home. They also received bison from other indigenous communities as part of massive trade networks spanning across the continent.

The Yakama have maintained a herd of bison since 1991, and a couple of years ago they added over two dozen bison from the Yellowstone herd, which lacks the large infusion of cattle genes most other surviving bison have. This crossbreeding will strengthen the Yakama herd's genetic diversity. And it helps the Yakama themselves maintain healthier diets based on leaner bison meat as opposed to beef.

We're a far cry from the 60 million bison that once roamed freely across the continent. But the Yakama's bison herd is just one example of where indigenous management of the land and its wildlife is making changes for the better.

#Bison #Buffalo #megafauna #charismatic megafauna #Yakama #Yakama Nation #Native American #indigenous #indigenous people #indigenous sovereignty #ecology #environment #conservation #endangered species

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serpentandthreads · 2 years

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Just a reminder that while you're protesting for abortion rights, the government is now going after the Indian Child Welfare Act and is attacking Indigenous sovereignty.

Not only is the United States government trying to take away tribal sovereignty, but they are also trying to force pregnant Indigenous women and two-spirited individuals to give birth and risk having their children stolen from them. This is an act of genocide. This is an act of forced assimilation. This is an act of cultural erasure.

So while you protest for your rights to choose to have an abortion, protest in favor of Indigenous people's sovereignty. Contact your state representatives. Pay attention to your state elections.

#roe v wade #indian child welfare act #indigenous #indigenous sovereignty #native american #native rights #abortion rights #abortion #witchblr #witchcraft #witch community

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sparksinthenight · 2 months

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Have a Heart Day 2024

This is a letter I wrote to the Canadian Government for Have a Heart Day 2024. I am asking the government to stop discriminating against First Nations children, to stop giving them inadequate services, education, and support, to stop treating them unequally compared to non-Indigenous children, and to stop taking them away from their loving families. I really hope that you read my letter and that you either copy paste it or write your own, and email the Canadian government yourself.

Hello. Our names are ____ and we are people from various parts of so-called Canada. We are writing to you to ask that you ensure the government stops discriminating against First Nations children, by signing a Final Settlement Agreement on Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle on Reform, and by following the Spirit Bear Plan and enshrining it into law.

First Nations children and families on reserves are being discriminated against in many ways. Most communities do not receive the same amount of and access to social services that non-Indigenous people receive. Most communities do not receive as good quality social services as non-Indigenous people. While there has been progress, Jordan's Principle, which is about meeting children's needs, is still not being properly applied. Most children don't have access to an equal quality of education as children off reserves, and many children receive very inadequate education services. And, very horrifyingly, children are being separated from families who love them and want to take care of them. This all needs to stop. We need to make, follow, and enforce laws that stop this discrimination.

First of all, let's talk about the fact that social services are inadequate on most reserves. As you know, the federal government funds services on reserves that the provincial or municipal governments fund elsewhere. The government generally funds services on reserves far less than services are funded off reserves. These include education, water infrastructure, housing, financial assistance, transportation, basic infrastructure, utilities, healthcare, mental healthcare, addiction support, job training, childcare, youth programs, cultural programs, recreation programs, libraries, child welfare, and more. These services are human rights and should be well-funded for everyone. It's not fair that non-Indigenous people have better services to better meet more of their fundamental human rights and basic needs while people on reserves don't.

The fact that people don't have access to the services they need is part of why there are high levels of poverty on reserves. Ongoing and historical racism, trauma, and discrimination have caused a lot of people on reserves to be poor. And this lack of services is part of that discrimination that is causing people to be poor. If people had the healthcare, education, housing, childcare, mental healthcare, addiction support, cultural support, job training, basic food and water, disability support, and other things they needed, they would be able to have the peace of mind, mental strength, knowledge, support, and resources necessary to pull themselves and their communities out of poverty. Also, since there is so much poverty on reserves, these communities need even more services to help meet their basic needs and human rights.

Services delivered need to be good and effective for the communities they are delivered in. This means that services need to meet each community's different needs. Because each community has different needs due to different connectivity to the outside world, poverty levels, local prices, etc. Service providers need to first see what services people need and how to best deliver them, then work out how much money is needed. Money should be the last thing considered. What each person, family, and community needs should be the first thing considered. And of course, services must all be culturally sensitive and relevant.

And part of why services are so low quality, as well as part of why so much discrimination and cruelty happens, is because Indigenous Services Canada has biases in its systems and people, and must be reformed. Indigenous Services Canada doesn't listen to experts about what communities need and how things should be done. They don't try to do their actual job, which is ensuring good services are provided to Indigenous people. They need to be reformed and communities need to lead their own service provision.

The Spirit Bear plan must be properly implemented and properly followed. It must be enshrined in law and the law must be completely enforced. The Spirit Bear Plan is the following:

"Spirit Bear calls on:

CANADA to immediately comply with all rulings by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordering it to immediately cease its discriminatory funding of First Nations child and family services. The order further requires Canada to fully and properly implement Jordan's Principle (www.jordansprinciple.ca).

PARLIAMENT to ask the Parliamentary Budget Officer to publicly cost out the shortfalls in all federally funded public services provided to First Nations children, youth and families (education, health, water, child welfare, etc.) and propose solutions to fix it.

GOVERNMENT to consult with First Nations to co-create a holistic Spirit Bear Plan to end all of the inequalities (with dates and confirmed investments) in a short period of time sensitive to children's best interests, development and distinct community needs.

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS providing services to First Nations children and families to undergo a thorough and independent 360° evaluation to identify any ongoing discriminatory ideologies, policies or practices and address them. These evaluation must be publicly available.

ALL PUBLIC SERVANTS including those at a senior level, to receive mandatory training to identify and address government ideology, policies and practices that fetter the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action." This information is from the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.

Another huge factor contributing to the inequality faced by many First Nations children is the fact that Jordan's Principle isn't being properly implemented.

The federal government, not the provincial government, typically pays for the services on reserves. But many times disputes arise about who should pay for a service, and the children don't get the services non-Indigenous children would get as a matter of course. Jordan's Principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, a young disabled boy from Norway House Cree Nation who passed away in the hospital after the provincial government and the federal government couldn't decide which one should pay the costs of his healthcare. The Principle states that if a First Nations child needs something for their well-being, they need to be given that service first and payment disputes should get addressed later. This includes medical, psychological, educational, cultural, disability, and basic needs support. Non-Indigenous children get these supports without having to ask because they have access to many more and better services. These supports are human rights that everyone deserves, especially children going through generational and contemporary trauma.

Jordan's Principle is not being properly implemented, and this is hurting kids. Though there has been much progress, Jordan's Principle requests, which are for things children need, are often denied, which goes against children's rights. Indigenous Services Canada, which runs the Jordan's Principle approval process, doesn't have an adequate complaints mechanism to hold to account its provision of the Principle. The government isn't making data available on whether they're meeting children's needs. Many children have delays in getting help, including time-sensitive medical, psychological, educational, and development help.

The application process, though easier than before, is still difficult and many families don't have adequate help and guidance through it. As well, most doctors don't know which children are eligible for Jordan's Principle supports, 40% don't know which services are covered, and ⅓ don't know how to access funding through it.

Long term reform is needed. An Agreement in Principle on long term reform has been drafted by the government and First Nations advocates, and it looks promising. It talks about increasing funding for Jordan's Principle services and trying to root out prejudice in the system. But the Agreement in Principle is not legally binding. It's not something the government has to follow, or is following, but rather what they claim they might do eventually. Negotiations for the creation of a Final Settlement Agreement based on the Agreement in Principle were underway but have been on standstill for months. A Final Settlement Agreement would be legally binding and would if done right increase the chances of achieving change.

The school system is also horribly unfair. Many First Nations schools on reserves get less funding than schools off reserve, with an average of 30% less funding per school. They don't have adequate funding for computers, software, technology, sports equipment, field trips, labs, lab equipment, extracurriculars, cultural learning, job training, and the list goes on. They don't even have enough money to have adequate heating, good quality infrastructure, adequate and safe ventilation, enough textbooks, and reasonable class sizes. Many schools don't have a safe and appropriate learning environment. All children, including First Nations children, deserve good education.

There is no clear plan to eliminate education and employment gaps.

The government claims it's negotiating with Indigenous groups but there's no evidence that they're actually doing anything to lower inequality. They also claim that they're funding education on reserves equally but all the evidence says they're not. You need to actually, genuinely fund education on reserves adequately and equitably, and make sure that children on reserves are actually receiving a good and equal and equitable quality of education.

A lot of communities don't have self-determination over their own education systems, meaning they can't teach about the history of their people and other important cultural knowledge. First Nations children need and deserve to learn about their culture, about the ecosystems their people are connected to and how to interact with those ecosystems, their history, their language, their traditions. And if communities have self-determination over their own education systems, and they have adequate resources and funding from the government, they'll be able to teach these things so that children grow up proud of who they are.

And what is perhaps the most horrible thing is that so many children are being separated from families who love them. This is the most traumatic thing that can happen to a child, and all children deserve and need to be with the families who love them.

At the height of residential schools, many children were separated from their families. Currently, 3 times as many children are in foster care, away from their families. One tenth of First Nations children have been in foster care. Children in foster care experience higher rates of physical and sexual abuse and do not get as much cultural immersion. Not to mention, even in the best circumstances, they're away from their families.

Most Indigenous children in foster care have loving families that try their best to take care of them, who they want and need deeply. But their families are poor or mentally ill or disabled, or have other factors that make it hard for them to meet their children's needs. Preventative support like financial, housing, health, and mental health aid could keep many families together. If child and family service agencies have the resources and the empathy to help families with what they need so that families stay together, that would be a great relief. Child and family service agencies need adequate money, infrastructure, and personnel to give families real help instead of taking children away. Most agencies do not have these. Programs that help the wider community such as healthcare, financial aid, housing services, mental healthcare, parenting classes, food support, community programs, youth programs, cultural programs, pregnancy support, and others would greatly decrease the number of children taken from their homes. Most communities do not have adequate levels of these programs.

Child and family service agencies need to be completely reformed, and should be led by First Nations communities themselves. Most child and family service agencies are not. This is especially important since there is bias against First Nations people in many agencies. Some communities are getting the opportunities to start their own child and family service agencies, but most communities do not have this opportunity. Canada needs binding laws to ensure child and family service agencies are led by First Nations communities and are based in the unique culture of each community, which they often aren't. Each community has unique needs depending on local prices, remoteness, poverty levels, and other factors. The way child and family services should be funded is by first seeing what services the children truly need, then seeing how to best deliver them, then determining how much money will be needed.

There is a promising Agreement in Principle on Reform, created by the government and First Nations advocates. It discusses increasing funding for child welfare services and trying to root out prejudice in the system. However this is not a legally binding agreement that the government has to follow. It's just something that they claim they'll maybe do in the future. A Final Settlement Agreement based on the Agreement in Principle would be legally binding. It would, if done right, enact more funding and reform. But negotiations for this have been on pause for months. Canada needs to implement evidence-based solutions to keep kids with their families. This means creating a legally binding and well-enforced Final Settlement Agreement on Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle on Reform.

Some communities are trying a new funding model for child and family services that may give more funding, allowing them to do more preventative services instead of taking children away. However, the results of this new funding model are not clear yet, and most communities do not have the opportunity to be funded by it. And there is no guarantee that the new funding model will be applied to all communities if it indeed does work. There is no guarantee that enough funding for prevention services will be given to all communities, whether or not the new funding model works.

The government often promises to create reform or adequately fund things, but they don't follow through on those promises. If the government does make progress, safeguards need to be in place to stop them from backsliding.

So here are our asks for you:

-Implement the Spirit Bear plan and adequately fund all social services on reserves.

-Make sure all services are available de facto just like they are off reserve.

-Fund cultural services and make sure all services are culturally-rooted.

-Eliminate all discrimination and bias in service providers.

-Listen to experts such as doctors and teachers, the community, and community-led service providers.

-Allow and help First Nations communities to lead their own social services rooted in their own cultural values.

-Keep funding flexible and adaptable to changing needs.

-Have adequate accountability measures for all service providers.

-Make a binding law to adequately fund all social services and have communities lead social service provision.

-Create a binding law to ensure that once you start adequately funding social services you don't stop.

-In a reasonable timeframe, reach a Final Settlement Agreement on Long-Term Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle.

-Make sure all Jordan's Principle requests in the best interests of children are accepted.

-Give presumptive approval for Jordan's Principle requests under $250.

-Support organizations and communities already providing Jordan's Principle services.

-Accept urgent requests within 12 hours and non urgent requests within 48 hours.

-Don't require more than one document from a professional or elder for making requests.

-Make data available on Jordan's Principle provision effectiveness.

-Make sure all supports are given in a timely manner without delays.

-Make it easy and convenient for families and professionals to make Jordan's Principle requests.

-Fund schools on reserves as much as schools off reserve. This includes funding for computers, libraries, software, teacher training, special education, education research, language programs, cultural programs, mental health support, support for kids with special needs, extracurriculars, ventilation, heating, mold removal, vocation training for students, and more.

-Make sure all schools have the resources, funding, and support necessary to teach culture.

-Make a clear joint strategy to eliminate the education and employment gap.

-Make sure all school staff are non-discriminatory.

-Make sure communities have self-determination to create culturally rooted education.

-Adequately fund child and family services on reserves, and make sure they can hire enough people and have good infrastructure.

-Stop discrimination within child and family service agencies.

-Allow and help all First Nations communities to lead and run their own child and family service agencies that are based on their cultural values.

-Enact evidence based solutions to keep families together.

-Don't take children from families that love them.

-Have and fund adequate preventative services so families can take care of their children and no child is taken away.

-Keep funding for child and family services flexible and responsive to each community's needs, and listen to communities to learn what their needs are.

-Have adequate accountability in child and family services so that any underfunding, discrimination, or failure is stopped and remedied.

-Family support needs to start at or even before pregnancy.

-Fund culturally-based healing of people who have been harmed and are being harmed by the government's discrimination.

———

Find your MP here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/en/members

justin.trudeau(at)parl.gc.ca- Prime Minister Trudeau

chrystia.freeland(at)parl.gc.ca- Deputy Prime Minister Freeland

patty.hajdu(at)parl.gc.ca- Minister of Indigenous Services

gary.anand(at)parl.gc.ca - Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

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gothhabiba · 11 months

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Brazilian activists have voiced outrage after congress moved to drastically dilute the powers of the environment and Indigenous peoples ministries in what campaigners called a potentially crippling blow to efforts to protect Indigenous communities and the Amazon.

[...] By 15 votes to 3, a congressional committee approved draft legislation that would strip the environment ministry of control of the rural environmental registry, a key tool in the fight against illegal deforestation and land-grabbing, and water resources. The rule change would also strip the ministry for Indigenous peoples of responsibility for delimiting Indigenous territories, handing those powers to the justice ministry.

[...] “They are fleecing the environment ministry,” Marina Silva told the newspaper O Globo.

“The Brazilian people elected President Lula but it seems congress wants a repeat of the Bolsonaro government,” Silva added, warning the moves would undermine Brazil’s international claims to be committed to fighting deforestation and climate change.

Guajajara told AFP that attempts to erode her ministry’s powers went “totally against what president Lula is defending” and represented a “step backwards” for Indigenous rights.

A prominent political columnist, Miriam Leitão, claimed the changes were tantamount to “the demolition of the [two] ministries”.

In a separate move, the lower house also approved plans for an imminent vote on legislation which activists fear would annul all Indigenous claims to land Indigenous people were not physically inhabiting when Brazil’s constitution came into force in 1988.

On Twitter, Guajajara called that manoeuvre “genocidal” and a direct attack on Indigenous rights, territories and the fight against climate change.

[...] Marcio Astrini, the chief executive of the Climate Observatory environmental watchdog, said the moves – if approved in their current form – would deal a severe blow to the environment ministry and an even greater one to the Indigenous ministry, whose raison d’être was the demarcation of Indigenous lands.

“It would be like having a finance ministry that couldn’t handle fiscal or tax policy. It would be like having a health ministry that didn’t run the NHS,” Astrini said, urging Lula’s administration to find ways to block or alter the proposed changes.

“The government is going to have to take some decisions … Will it cave in to all the demands of the ruralistas and Bolsonaristas in congress? Or will it stick to President Lula’s campaign promises? It seems very clear to me it can’t do both,” he added.

(25 May, 2023)

#Brazil #news #climate change #climate justice #indigenous sovereignty

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padawan-historian · 5 months

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Beyond proud of the indigenous solidarities × Palestinian liberation at the New York City Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade.

#our world #indigenous sovereignty #land back #thanksgiving #indigenous rights #free palestine #free us all #flowers and freedom for palestine #macy's thanksgiving day parade #uprooted

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reasonsforhope · 1 year

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"Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva legally recognized nearly 800 square miles of Indigenous lands on Friday [April 28, 2023] in an effort to stop illegal logging, mining and land grabbing, reversing policies enacted by his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right leader who encouraged development in the Amazon. Those policies spurred a frenzy of activity, including illegal gold mining and clandestine farming in Indigenous territories, devastating the environment and fueling violence.

“We are going to legalize Indigenous lands,” Lula said in a speech. “I don’t want any Indigenous territory to be left without demarcation during my government.”

Under Lula’s new designation, mining activities are now prohibited, and commercial farming and logging require specific authorization by the Brazilian government. Non-Indigenous people are forbidden from engaging in any economic activity on Indigenous lands. Under Bolsonaro, the Amazon saw a 56 percent increase in deforestation, the destruction of nearly 13,000 square miles of rainforest, and the loss of nearly 965 square miles of Indigenous territories.

The Amazon rainforest, which is twice the size of India, holds large amounts of carbon which are crucial to fighting climate change. Studies show that protected Indigenous land holds 50 percent more carbon per hectare than unprotected areas in the Brazilian Amazon, and that protecting Indigenous territories in the region could prevent more than 15 million respiratory and cardiovascular-related illnesses. There are more than 3,000 protected areas in Brazil, and 490 recognized Indigenous areas. Those Indigenous areas cover more than 264-million acres – almost 13% of Brazil’s territory.

“Indigenous areas are crucial to preserving the Amazon, the world’s central bank for biological diversity,” said Toerris Jaeger, Director of Rainforest Foundation Norway, in a press release. “Today’s announcement is also an important recognition that indigenous people are the ones best able to guard this wealth.”

Lula’s announcement provides recognition to six territories that are home to nearly 4,000 Indigenous peoples. The largest area is the Nadöb people’s Uneiuxi Territory located in the Amazonas state. With recognition, the area has been expanded by 37 percent to 2,100 square miles of primary rainforest.

But for some Indigenous communities, the announcement fell short. In January, Lula’s government pledged to create 14 new territories, while another 733 territories await distinction and boundary acknowledgment by the federal government. The lands of the Pataxó people in south western Bahia state is just one of the territories left out of Lula’s announcement. Renato Atxuab, a Pataxó leader, told the AP that Silva’s government must distinguish their land as soon as possible to prevent further invasions by outsiders. Over the past year, Axtuab said, there have been violent conflicts involving agribusiness, land-grabbers and drug traffickers.

“There are still, currently, hundreds of Indigenous Lands in the country with their recognition processes pending,” said Danicley de Aguiar, a spokesperson for Greenpeace Brazil. “Several territories, despite already being officially recognized, suffer from invasions by illegal gold miners, subjecting the people living on those lands to extreme violence.”

She added that going forward, real protection of Indigenous lands will require monitoring by the Brazilian government."

-via Grist, 5/3/23

#brazil #lula da silva #indigenous #indigenous sovereignty #indigenous peoples #bolsonaro #amazon #amazon rainforest #biodiversity #conservation news #land back #south america #logging #good news #hope

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allthecanadianpolitics · 11 months

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A man who helped return a 140-year-old Tlingit robe to the British Columbia First Nation where it was created says it’s as if the regalia called out to its people and they are bringing it home. The intricately woven Chilkat robe, made of mountain goat wool and yellow cedar bark, was purchased by the Taku River Tlingit First Nation in northwestern B.C. for almost $40,000 after it went up for sale online by a Toronto-based auction house last year. The robe arrived in Whitehorse Wednesday and will travel 175 kilometres south to the First Nation’s traditional territory in Atlin, B.C., where it’s expected to go on display and may be used in future ceremonies. While the community celebrates the return of a piece of its heritage, the First Nation said Indigenous people should not be forced to buy back regalia that was stolen from them. [...]

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #British Columbia #First Nations #Taku River Tlingit #Atlin #indigenous sovereignty

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alpaca-clouds · 10 months

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Solarpunk and colonial thinking

Keeping my Solarpunk rambles up... And today a more serious topic, but I kinda want to talk about it.

Solarpunk has a weird, weird relation with decolonialism, colonialism and indigenous rights and indigenous knowledge. On one hand, Solarpunk loves to reference some indigenous knowledge, if it is handy. One example that comes to mind is different indigenous American forms of agriculture, like the three sisters. On the other hand, though...

I see a lot of white Solarpunks also kinda converting to the entire idea of "the noble savage". Like "OMG, the indigenous people were so in synch with nature" and stuff like that. Things that are super harmful as a main narrative. And also... as soon as indigenous people do something, that white folks do not like, a lot of white solarpunks will instantly go into full colonizer mode. A good example of that is indigenous hunting practices or practices of animal sacrifice.

And, of course, when it comes to land management, white folks - and that includes a lot of solarpunks - will also very quickly think they know better or know what is better. In Finnland there was a wind farm build recently on sacred Sami land. And, like... That's just not okay.

I mean, I am mostly white. (Like, my great grandmother was Chinese, but I have been raised white and do not look Chinese. So... eh.) But I honestly do think, that we can learn quite a few things from different indigenous cultures (and with that I do not only mean the indigenous tribes of north america). But if we learn from them, we cannot just take knowledge that we like and run with it. Cultural exchange should be that. Exchange. Respectful. Not just appropriation of the three things we like.

Also: Watch Andrewism on YouTube. He talks about that a lot.

#solarpunk #indigenous rights #indigenous peoples #indigenous #cultural exchange #land back #indigenous sovereignty #indigenous knowledge

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wiisagi-maiingan · 2 years

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I really don't like the trend of land back posts essentially reassuring people that nothing would change under indigenous sovereignty because like, ideally? Things would change. Probably a lot.

And that's a good thing.

The way our society works now is unsustainable, for both the planet and for humanity, with so much of our lives dependent on destruction, exploitation, and violence. We are living under ongoing colonialist systems, kept in place by slavery and violent global oppression.

We can't keep going like this and the promise that "nothing will change" is an awful thing to say and absolutely naive in regards to reality. If things don't change, then what's the actual point of sovereignty? If the only thing that's different is the name of the nation we live under, what is the point of sovereignty?

Things will change. Things HAVE to change.

#indigenous sovereignty

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canary-prince · 2 years

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Hey Guys It's Indigenous History Month

Consider donating to some of these great organizations, yeah?

First Nations Development Institute; highly rated by Charity Navigator, FNDI attempts to lift Native communities out of poverty through a wide variety of grants and programs. This is a link to info about their programs and impact.

Native American Rights Fund; a legal collective fighting to preserve tribal sovereignty, challenge systemic racism within the American legal system, and educate the greater public about the conditions Natives live in. Here's their about us.

Native American Heritage Association: focused on rez communities in South Dakota and Wyoming, NAHA provides heating assistance, food, tools, and other vital household goods to combat the effects of poverty in these vulnerable communities. Here's a list of their programs.

Association Of American Indian Affairs: this year is their centennial! That's right, these guys have been working since 1922 to fight assimilation, return stolen artifacts, and make cultural connections with Native youth. These days, they even host summer camps, because everyone deserves a childhood. Learn about their history on ongoing impact here.

Contribute directly to help the Sioux Tribe at Standing Rock; this will also help Sitting Bull college, a higher learning institute on tribal grounds.

Ojibwe Cultural Foundation; fighting to preserve and grow the language, art, and culture of the Anishinaabe nations of Canada. Check them out.

#charity #mutual aid #indigenous sovereignty #indigenous history month #the monster speaks

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serpentandthreads · 1 year

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Since somebody decided to come into my ask box whining that I'm using a "much more important issue as leverage to demand people care about other bullshit", allow me to give y'all some educational content regarding Indigenous women/two-spirited folk, the history of taking their children away and forced sterilization of Indigenous women/two-spirited folk.

Residential schools were set up by both the Canadian and American governments, and administered by churches. They were used to take Indigenous children from their families to be raised by white Christians as a means to "kill the Indian and save the man". In other words: they wanted Indigenous children dead or abiding by white, Christian standards. If these children did anything "too native", they were punished harshly. They weren't even allowed to speak their native languages without being punished.

The parents of these children had no choice but to give up their children, because they could face prison time or death if they resisted. Many Indigenous children never made it back home, or died trying to find their way back home. The last residential school closed in 1996. Just to give ya an idea on exactly how long ago that is: it is the same year Pokemon debuted.

The Canadian residential school sites are being searched for unmarked graves of Indigenous children, and thousands of these deceased children have been found. Here is a link to a 45 minute long documentary in which a woman talks with her auntie about her experiences living at a residential school.

That wasn't enough, though, because Indigenous women/two-spirited folk were forcibly sterilized for decades without prior knowledge or consent. The reasoning behind these forced sterilizations were based around eugenics and racism. This continued the genocide that has been going on for centuries.

Moving on to what is happening today, the ICWA or Indian Child Welfare Act was established to protect Indigenous children from being displaced from their tribes. It helps ensure that if Indigenous children cannot stay with their parents or extended family, they will be placed in a qualified home and stay connected to their tribe. ICWA is now being targeted by the government, because they think they should have more say in what happens to Indigenous children. This is just continuing the cultural genocide of Indigenous people. Here is a petition for protecting the ICWA. Here is a linktree that has various links on the ICWA and what is currently happening.

Yes, this situation is just as important as roe v wade. I stand by my statement that if you were outraged by the overturning of roe v wade, then you should be equally as outraged by this. Because while Indigenous and other POC were telling us that the overturning of roe v wade was very possible and that we needed to pay attention, many (white) people were twiddling their thumbs thinking "oh, they're overreacting, roe v wade has been established for so long, they would never overturn it". Well, it happened, and now the government is going after Indigenous children for the some of the same reasons they went after roe v wade.

#icwa #protect icwa #indian child welfare act #roe v wade #indigenous #indigenous sovereignty #reproductive rights

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sinners-if · 1 year

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There are very few (read: none) minorities not under attack in the US by both state and federal law who all deserve to be seen and remembered. But today is May 5th, National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

While their connection and relationships to others are important, they are not just parents, siblings, or children, these are human beings. Human beings who deserve the rights and attention of any other.

Please give your voice and privileges today and tomorrow. There are too many who have been silenced, but those above can not keep us all quiet.

Implement Savanna’s Act

Defend ICWA

Indigenous Representation in Hollywood

& more

#important #awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women #indigenous sovereignty

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