The Importance of Indigenous Land Defenders in a Rapidly Changing World
Statistics on Indigenous Life. Graphic by Henry T Fox.
Indigenous people make up 6% of the world population, yet protect 80% of the world’s biodiversity. These communities are often vulnerable to poverty and violence from both state and non-state actors, with regular threats against their lands and culture. Indigenous people understand their lands more than anyone else, so why are their stories not being platformed more during the climate crisis?
Sarah Shenker, co-ordinator of the Uncontacted Tribes Campaign at Survival International. Image courtesy of Sarah Shenker.
I spoke with Sarah Shenker, co-ordinator of Survival International’s uncontacted tribes campaign, who gave more insight into the issues surrounding Indigenous sovereignty in the across the world. “There’s a lot to be done”, said Sarah, “Our key campaigns at the moment are the campaign for the protection of the land of uncontacted tribes who are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet, and our campaign to decolonize conservation, so to put tribal and Indigenous peoples right at the centre of the conservation movement, and fight against the violation of their rights and also against the torture and killings of tribal and Indigenous people that are happening at the moment”.
Violence and Genocide
The Amazon river in Brazil. Image by Jeff Stapleton.
Extrajudicial killings of Indigenous people are a particular cause for concern, with cases like Venezuelan soldiers killing four Yanomami people in April 2022, and government forces in the Philippines killing nine Tumanduk Indigenous leaders in a 2020 raid, after the Tumanduk people protested a dam project in their locality.
Indigenous Brazilians have been faced with particularly intense violence under the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of crimes against humanity against Black and Indigenous communities by the Tribunal Permanente dos Povos. Uncontacted peoples are particularly vulnerable to government and corporate encroachment. Sarah Shenker said, “All the Indigenous peoples of Brazil are currently suffering as a consequence of the the racist and genocidal policies of the Bolsonaro government, which is trying to rip up Indigenous land rights and steal Indigenous territories and wiping out Indigenous peoples on the way if needed in order to make profit and to feed the agribusiness industry and the mining industry”.
The Tribunal Permanente dos Povos in Brazil, which recently condemned Jair Bolsonaro. Image by Rodrigo Rodrigues.
Indigenous people in the Americas have historically faced systemic theft and destruction of their lands and cultures by the dominant societies of the region. However, this still continues in modern times, with treaties being broken and many Indigenous cultural and religious practices banned until recent years. Indigenous youth have historically suffered under the residential school system in North America, where they were forced to assimilate into Christian American and Canadian culture and abused severely. The last residential school closed in 1996, and mass graves have been dug up on these lands. In the modern day Indigenous children are heavily overrepresented in the foster system and threats are being made to the Indian Child Welfare Act in the USA, which could have a devastating impact on the cultural upbringing of childen.
“It all comes back to land theft really, to racism and to the global greed for more and more products. Demand for things like wood and oil and gold jewellery, which is in many cases fuelling the genocide of Indigenous peoples”, Sarah added.
The Environment, Protest and Arrests
Nick Tilsen standing outside court during a 2021 hearing. Image by Willi White, courtesy of NDN Collective.
Yet the issue is not just direct violence, but arbitrary arrests and detainment. Indigenous people are over-represented in the criminal justice system worldwide compared to the general population, and excessive force is used often against them. During the 2016 to 2017 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in the Standing Rock Reservation in North and South Dakota, over 800, primarily Native American, people were arrested. Over 300 were injured, with the use of water cannons in below-freezing temperatures, and allegations of violent behaviour towards protestors from police officers. In Canada in 2021 dozens of Wet'suwet'en leaders were arrested for protesting the creation of a similar pipeline through unceded Wet’suwet’en lands in British Columbia.
“While this particular battle has finally been won, my work for Indigenous liberation is far from over. I will continue fighting for the Black Hills to be returned to the Lakota people, and for all rightful Indigenous land to be returned to its people across Turtle Island [North America].”
Nick Tilsen is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and Director and CEO of NDN Collective, an Indigenous rights organisation based in South Dakota. He was arrested in 2020 during a protest against former US president Donald Trump’s visit to Mount Rushmore, land considered sacred to the Lakota Sioux. After a two-year legal battle where he faced up to 17 years in prison, charges against him were dropped by prosecutors on December 13th. He said in a statement after the case was dropped, “My case held a mirror up to the so-called legal system, where prosecutors, fueled by white fragility and fear of Indigenous power, wasted years of state resources to intimidate, criminalize, and violate me”.
“It’s one step forward, two steps back - but we don’t give up.”
Lisa Koperqualuk, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). Image courtesy of the ICC.
In more recent years, Indigenous Peoples have been listened to more in the sphere of environmentalism, but it isn’t without flaws. COP26 in Glasgow was criticised for its lack of inclusion of Indigenous leaders. The recent COP27 conference was attended by a delegation from the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). However, Lisa Koperqualuk, president of the ICC commented “Language on human rights was on and off the table during the COP27, and the end result is a step back as the language included last year in the Glasgow Pact is now gone, which shows that human rights are not seen as fundamental principles by states, unfortunately.”
“It’s one step forward, two steps back”, said Lisa, “But we don’t give up”.
Yet their attendance also had a positive impact, “Our message and recommendations were heard everywhere,” said Sara Olsvig, the ICC’s International Chair, “Our delegates spoke on many platforms and interacted with many world leaders, other Indigenous Peoples and government delegations.”
“I would encourage people to listen”, said Sarah Shenker, “Listen to Indigenous Peoples and their allies who have a lot to say, of course, about what they need and what the situations are in their territory. And as you mentioned before, actually on that note, there is now more and more talk about Indigenous Peoples and the fact that they're the best guardians of nature. And that's coming hand in hand with the the climate emergency.”
Indigenous Peoples of Mexico. Graphic by Henry T Fox.
A Vision For The Future
In a modern turn towards reconciliation in Canada, the First Nations Guardians Network has been introduced, in order to connect stewardship from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast.
"This is the first of its kind in the world, and it's fitting to mark Canada's investment in the network at the COP15 Biodiversity Summit. Indigenous peoples are proven stewards of biodiversity, and Indigenous Guardians are on the ground caring for land and water we all depend on. With these investments, Canada is offering a model for respecting and supporting the Indigenous-led stewardship — a model we hope spreads around the world”, said Valérie Courtois, Director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative.
Indigenous voices and stories have had more of a platform than ever in recent years, which is a positive sign for the future.
“My vision for the future is a world where indigenous peoples are truly respected.”
“Although there's a long, long way to go. As I mentioned earlier, there's still a very colonial view, in many cases of Indigenous Peoples and their territories. That is feeding the the abuse of Indigenous Peoples in their rights in certain parts of the world, and the eviction of Indigenous Peoples from their territories, in the name of conservation”, said Sarah Shenker.
“They [Indigenous Peoples] are coming to the forefront more in terms of what is spoken about. Obviously, it's nothing new to Indigenous Peoples themselves, and many of us have known for a long time that of course, they're the best guardians. It wasn't something that was so central in the discourse. And now it is becoming more central. So that is great.” Sarah added.
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