Global Policy Forum

Indigenous Peoples

Nation Divided (November 9, 2004)
The border between the US and Mexico separates the historical lands of the Tohono O'odham indigenous peoples who have upheld their traditional way of life across the border for centuries. Since the US passed strict immigration-control measures in 1994, a "militarized zone" has divided the Tohono O'odhams and severely hindered their ability to preserve the native culture and uphold ancient cultural and family ties. (Independent Press Association)

Brazilians Battle Indians: 'This Land Is Our Land' (October 15, 2004)
White settlers populate and ravage the Sol Indigenous Reservation in Brazil, home to half a dozen tribes. The government has failed to give legal protection to the Indians. Some claim that Brasilia deliberately chose to evict Indians from their historical lands in favor of "old-fashioned backroom political deal making" with wealthy white farmers. (New York Times)

Latin American Indigenous Movements in the Context of Globalization (October 11, 2004)
For indigenous populations, globalization resembles a second colonization as decisions of powerful nation-states, corporations, and financial institutions ultimately determine their destiny. This article explores how indigenous people organize and struggle for autonomy in response to neo-liberal globalization. (Interhemispheric Resource Center)

Genocide It Is (August 9, 2004)
On the UN's "International Day of the World's Indigenous People," this article looks at evidence of a deliberate campaign to exterminate the original inhabitants of North America. Archival material supports the view that settlers used "germ warfare" against natives, deliberately exposing them to smallpox and other diseases. The US and Canada also committed "cultural genocide," placing about 100,000 native children in residential schools to assimilate them into white society. (Inter Press Service)

S. America's Indigenous Uproar (July 20, 2004)
South America's 55 million indigenous people have achieved significant gains in the past decade, but are still struggling against poverty, inequality, and lack of political representation. This article provides an overview of the current "fragmented" state of the continent's indigenous movement as it attempts to translate short-term achievements into enduring political victories. (Christian Science Monitor)

Botswana's Bushmen Battle for Land (July 12, 2004)
Kalahari bushmen are suing the Botswana government for the right to live on their ancestral land. The government cut off the water supply to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, forcing the indigenous population into nearby resettlement camps. (BBC)

Thailand: Fear of Expulsion Haunts Hill Tribes (July 30, 2003)
The Thai government requires 400,000 hill tribe people who have long occupied rural areas to prove they have roots in Thailand in order to receive Thai citizenship. If the "stateless" tribal people do not meet a deadline, the government may expel them as illegal immigrants. (Asia Times)

Isolated Indigenous Groups Face Extinction (July 29, 2003)
The international laws that protect indigenous people are ineffective when it comes to several indigenous groups in Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru. Companies searching for natural resources, anthropologists, and tourists invade their territories, bringing foreign diseases and damaging the environment on which tribal people depend. (Tierramerica)

U'wa: Collective Suicide (March 10, 2003)
The Association of U'wa Traditional Authorities says the ritual of collective suicide is the tribe's only alternative to seeing their 'mother land' invaded by Ecopetrol's oil project. The U'wa nation says the Colombian government must respect the laws which have given the U'wa property rights over their lands for the last 400 years. (OneWorld)

Indigenous People and Citizenship (July 21, 1999)
Historically, the Australian government forced indigenous peoples seeking citizenship to abandon traditional tribal laws and substitute native cultures with the "civilized" way of life. This past discrimination has a direct effect on present generations of indigenous people, who still lack representation and rights in Australia. (University of Melbourne)

Discrimination against Indigenous People of the North in the Russian Federation (March 4, 1996)
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the representation of indigenous people in the Russian government has almost disappeared. Social Organizations and Movements of Indigenous People of the North appeal to Russian and international officials for equal representation and recognition of their rights. (Arctic Circle)