Declaration of the International Working Group GTI-PIACI Emphasizes the Urgent Need to Protect Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation
From December 5-9, representatives from Indigenous Peoples’ and civil society organizations from across South America gathered in Asunción, Paraguay, for the annual meeting of the International Working Group on Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (GTI-PIACI). They gathered to analyze the current situation of the PIACI in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco, and develop joint strategies to defend their collective rights and address threats to their territories and lives. GTI-PIACI is an international working group made up of Indigenous Peoples’ representative organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academics, who are committed to the protection, defense, and promotion of the rights of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco. Land is Life, as the Secretariat of the working group, brought together over 60 representatives from 25 organizations across South America. There are an estimated 185 distinct Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in South America. Each of these peoples are exposed to extremely high vulnerability due to (illegal) mining, timber concessions, oil extraction, drug trafficking, industrial agriculture, overfishing, infrastructure construction, and climate change. States have continuously failed in protecting Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation from these threats. Land is Life and GTI-PIACI have taken a leading role in the protection of these peoples, in which their right to self-determination and to the principle of “no contact” is at the core. For them, “no contact” means freedom, and this freedom is lost if contact emerges. During the 4-day meeting, all members of the GTI PIACI working group shared the steps that they have taken towards the defense of human rights of the PIACI in their regions. Strategies for the protection of the PIACI were shared among the participants, alongside discussions on research methodologies for defining their territories. Much attention was paid to the alarming situation of the PIACI in Paraguay. The Ayoreo, who inhabit their cross-border territory in Paraguay and Bolivia, practice nomadic hunting and gathering across large distances. The fragmentation of their territory, due to industrial land use and extreme droughts, have posed an enormous threat to their culture and way of life. State borders have no meaning for the PIACI, and often their territories overlap these borders. Thus, international joint strategies for the protection of these peoples are needed. NGOs in Bolivia and Paraguay are already collaborating in collecting and analyzing data to protect the Ayoreo. “Everyone has the right to choose their way of life, and that choice needs to be respected…, we are asking the states to withdraw extractive pressures that are causing destruction in the territories of our sisters and brothers, so that they can exercise their right to live in voluntary isolation.” – Zenaida Yasacama, Kichwa woman, CONAIE “A major risk that we are witnessing is that most states are building roads that cross the territories of the PIACI, prioritizing the desires of oil and mining companies over protecting the Earth. The PIACI have their homes in those areas. These peoples have the right to live a dignified life. They need to be able to gather fruits, and to fish and hunt.” – Alicia Cahuyia, Waorani woman, CONAIE As a result of the Annual Meeting, the GTI-PIACI Working Group developed a joint declaration for the protection of PIACI. The following declaration captures the regional reflections and conclusions from organizations that took part in the gathering. (Read the Spanish version here.) 1. Comprehensively observing and respecting Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination, we ratify the principle of “no contact” as the principal guideline and a fundamental right of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation, embodied in the international standards of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We reject all actions and initiatives that promote forced contact with these peoples. 2. We reaffirm the urgency for the recognition, demarcation and protection of the territories of the PIACI as a fundamental pillar for the exercise of the rights of these peoples. 3. We are alarmed by the regressions and lack of implementation of policies for the protection of the rights of the PIACI in the region, especially regarding the right to life, right to physical integrity, to territory, and to culture. 4. We denounce the situation of the Ayoreo People in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay and Bolivia, where the governments demonstrate lack of political will to implement their responsibilities to protect and demarcate the Ayoreo territory. We demand the governments of Paraguay and Bolivia to implement the Resolution 4-2016 and the Precautionary Measures N° 54.13, granted by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) in favor of the Ayoreo Totobiegosode. 5. We are alerted by a Peruvian campaign promoting the proposed legislation N°3518-2022-CR, which intends to halt the process for the recognition of Indigenous territories in favor of the PIACI. Therefore, we demand the Congress of the Republic of Peru to permanently withdraw this initiative. Moreover, we stand in solidarity with FENAMAD and condemn the persecution by the logging company Tahuamanu SAC, which operates in the territory of the Mashco Piro People who live in voluntary isolation, with the full acceptance of the State of Peru. 6. Regarding Brazil, we are deeply concerned about the setbacks to the protection of the territories of the PIACI that have occurred over the past few years. Deforestation rates and the invasions of illegal miners have greatly increased in the territories of the Ituna-Itatá, Cachoeira Seca, Vale do Javari, Munduruku, Uru Eu Wau Wau, Yanomami, Piripkura, and Araribóia, among many others. We request that Brazil’s new government places the protection of Indigenous territories at the top of their agenda. We expect that the Brazilian government recognizes and enhances Indigenous initiatives towards the protection of their territories. 7. We denounce the lack of policies to safeguard the lives of PIACI in Bolivia, such as the Ayoreo, Ese Ejja, Toromona, Chiman-T´simane, Chácobo and Pacahuara, who inhabit areas threatened by the expansion of industrial agriculture, mining, fossil fuel extraction, and drug trafficking. We condemn the lack of political will to entitle lands for the Tacana II Indigenous People (CITRMD), which denies the protection
Land is Life Commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord
Today marks 25 years of the signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord between the Government of Bangladesh and the United People’s Party of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, that was supposed to put an end to a long-lasting armed conflict between the Bangladesh Army and the Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh. Despite hopes for stability and peace, the Government of Bangladesh has failed in implementing the treaty, and human rights violations in the region remain. The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is a culturally and biologically diverse, hilly area in southeastern Bangladesh, at the border of India and Myanmar. The area is home to 11 Indigenous Peoples who collectively identify themselves as the Jumma people, deriving from the practice of “Jhum”, a type of shifting cultivation. Even though the CHT was colonized by the British in 1787, the Indigenous Peoples could live their lives more or less freely and practice their self-determination until 1949, when Great Britain handed over the administration of the area to Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan started reducing the rights of the people, seizing their lands, and introduced a Bengali Muslim Settlement Program in the region. In 1962, for example, 100,000 Indigenous People were displaced from their homelands due to the construction of the Kaptai dam. In 1971, with the establishment of the State of Bangladesh, the human rights situation of the people of the CHT only started getting worse. The State did not recognize the identity or culture of the non-Bengali peoples in Bangladesh in its constitution and started taking heavy measures to diminish Indigenous cultures. The CHT became heavily militarized to which the Indigenous Peoples responded by establishing their own political party (PCJSS) with a military arm, Shanti Bahini, that launched an insurgency against state forces in 1977. A violent conflict occurred for 20 years until the CHT Peace Accord was signed in 1997. Even though the treaty was expected to begin a new period of peace in the area, many problems remain unresolved and severe violence shadows the lives of the Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. “It has been 25 years since the Peace Accord was signed, and human rights violations against the Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts continue unabated, including killings, forced disappearances and sexual violence against Indigenous women. It is past time for the government of Bangladesh to address these issues and take the necessary steps to fully implement, with the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord of 1997.” – Brian Keane, Executive Director of Land is Life
Reflections on Indigenous Participation at COP27
Land is Life’s Latin America Program Assistant, Majo Andrade Cerda, attended the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh over the past two weeks. Along with coordinating our side event on the rights of Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation, Majo attended many discussions alongside Indigenous leaders of movements around the world. Here, she shares her reflections on Indigenous participation at the climate discussions. My name is Majo Andrade Cerda, and I am an Indigenous woman from the Kichwa community of Serena, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. I was one of the many Indigenous participants who had the opportunity to attend COP27 this month. As a young leader of my community, who belongs to the first Indigenous guard led by women in the Napo province of Ecuador, I feel it’s important to share my reflections on the conference’s achievements and failures. Although there were many meaningful side events and discussions in the Indigenous pavilion, negotiations were still held by government representatives, backed by industries, with Indigenous peoples pushed aside. I believe that the United Nations has to adjust their structures so that we, the Indigenous peoples, can share our experiences within our territories directly with those representatives who are making the decisions, and then take collective action. Although we had our own pavilion with multiple side events, space was very limited. It wasn’t a space where we could really be involved in the decision-making process. We can only send reports and hold informal consultations and dialogues. We need to keep working with state representatives to gain mutual understanding of what we need to do as a global society. As a response to being left out, we as young Indigenous peoples are increasingly more involved in fighting for our rights. Movements led by Indigenous youth are growing, as we are constantly finding ways to open more spaces to have our voices heard. However, as the next generation of Indigenous leaders, we don’t have the capacity to bring people from all around the world to hear us; we have to seek out international platforms. In those platforms, however, we are experiencing more barriers, such as language. Our brothers and sisters, delegates from Brazil’s youth for example, are not able to participate fully, due to lack of translation, as Portuguese is not an official UN language. But it’s not just about speeches on the stage — it’s about supporting Indigenous communities and respecting our ways of life. We have to be made visible to the world to say: “We are here, we exist, and we are protecting the environment for everyone, not just for us.” We have the solutions. If you respect our rights, you’re respecting the rights of nature. Failures of COP27 One key failure of COP27 discussions, in my opinion, was that government leaders did not consider the devastating impacts of mining that are hidden behind the rhetoric of a sustainable future. My river, the Napo River, is going to be contaminated by mining because the Ecuadorian government is working towards an energy transition in order to fulfill its climate targets. This will affect all peoples along its path, through the Amazon, into Brazil, because we are all interconnected with one flow of the river, flowing all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. When we talk about climate justice, we need to highlight social justice and Indigenous peoples’ rights. Another failure was that carbon markets were not considered a severe threat. Conservation organizations are seeking funds for climate adaptation, and now for loss and damage, but they don’t consider the origin of these funds. COP27 didn’t manage to have a strategy for that. Carbon markets are false solutions. They keep seeing the Amazon and other tropical forests as commodities. People are buying themselves a good conscience, without having to change their extractive and polluting ways of life. COP27 failed to stop the use of fossil fuels and the consequences will heavily impact Indigenous communities. Lessons learned There are many takeaways from my time at the Sharm el-Sheikh climate discussions. Among them was the understanding that networking among Indigenous peoples is one of the keys to strengthening the movements. We are united now, more than ever before, with Indigenous peoples from the Fiji islands and Malaysia, and we are going to strengthen our bonds with our sisters from Brazil. There’s a lot of struggle in our communities — but we know we are not alone. If something happens to us, I know there are a lot of people who would react. I am more aware than ever before of the important role of women and youth in the movement, both on the front lines as well as the daily life in Indigenous communities. It’s time we realize that women have an important role inside the programs and projects we are developing to support Indigenous communities, because sometimes our voices as Indigenous women and youth are silenced and not taken into account. We have to work daily toward supporting each other. As young Indigenous women, we particularly know how to do this, because we work daily in our communities. The future of Indigenous participation After COP27, I am committed to advocating for a paradigm shift, where the environment and the communities cannot be considered separately. Proposals and projects need to come from the communities themselves, and be led by Indigenous peoples, women, and the youth. We are told that funds need to be sent to intermediary organizations as we, as Indigenous peoples, are not capable of managing them. This needs to change. Our parents and grandparents have been working hard for our education, even though it has made us face discrimination and almost lose our languages. But here we are now, as young women, capable of leading and administering our own projects, benefiting not only our communities but also the whole world. I’ve come to realize that most people in cities don’t know how important Indigenous peoples are. I recall talking with many people in Sharm el-Sheikh who came to COP
Land is Life Brings Human Rights Concerns to the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva
While the UN climate negotiations of COP27 are under way in Sharm el-Sheikh, another notable event, the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Over this two-week session, 14 States have their human rights records examined. The UPR is a UN process intended to improve the human rights situation in all Member States. The process, which held its first meeting in 2008, is based on a review system where States give recommendations to one another on how the human rights situation in each State should be improved. The 41st session, which is currently underway in Geneva, kicked off the UPR’s fourth cycle where States will share the actions they have taken to implement the recommendations received in the three previous review cycles. Indigenous organizations, alongside other civil society actors and human rights institutions, have also contributed to the UPR process in order to have their perspectives included in the recommendations. Land is Life participated in several meetings prior to the 41st session, to address Indigenous rights violations of Ecuador, which is one of the 14 States under review in the current session. In its presentation at the UPR, the State of Ecuador was concealing its failure in fulfilling the human, social, cultural, economic, and collective rights of Indigenous peoples and the recommendations it had received in the previous cycles of the UPR. Read the shadow report that CONFENIAE (the regional organization of Indigenous peoples in Ecuador) submitted to the UPR here. Below you can find a summary of the recommendations regarding human rights of Indigenous peoples that Ecuador received from fellow States in its review. Ensure the right of Indigenous peoples to participate in the decision-making process on matters that affect them through free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). So far, there are no cases in Ecuador where Indigenous peoples’ right to FPIC would have been properly implemented. Put an end to the violence against Indigenous human rights defenders and establish a legal framework for their protection. Provide reparation measures for victims and their families. Indigenous defenders in Ecuador constantly face stigmatization, criminalization, repression, and violence for defending their territories. It was only a few weeks ago that a 24-year-old anti-mining activist and Indigenous defender lost her life. Adopt effective measures to guarantee the rights of Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation (PIACI) over their lands, territories, natural resources and with regard to their culture and ways of life. PIACI are increasingly exposed to extremely high vulnerability. Ecuador’s two last known PIACI, the Taromenane and Tagaeri, are facing growing threats due to the expansion of extractive industries. Adopt and implement effective policies to prevent and address the specific challenges of violence against Indigenous women and girls. Indigenous women, as leaders, knowledge-bearers and culture transmitters face discrimination and violence both for being women and for being Indigenous. Advance the economic, social, and cultural rights of Indigenous peoples. Put an end to the extreme poverty of Indigenous peoples. Take effective measures to preserve Indigenous languages and traditions. Take effective measures to combat all forms of discrimination, especially racism and racial discrimination against Indigenous peoples and Afro-Ecuadorians. On Monday, it was the Philippines’ turn to have its human rights situation reviewed. According to Panaghiusa (Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples Rights), the human rights situation of the Indigenous peoples of the Philippines has only worsened since the 3rd review cycle of the UPR. You can read Panaghiusa’s shadow report for the UPR here. “The government, especially the National Task Force, continues to label our rights to land, territories, and free, prior and informed consent as ‘anti-development’ assertions. They brand Indigenous and Bangsamoro communities as ‘red and terrorist areas’, resulting in militarization, aerial strikes, and evacuation of communities. It persistently brands our leaders and organizations as terrorists. It also creates fake and false surrenders to support this ridiculous narrative. These lead to extrajudicial killings, trumped-up charges, threats, and harassment against members and leaders of national minority organizations.” – Beverly Longid, Igorot woman, Global Coordinator of IPMSDL Below you can find a summary of the recommendations regarding human rights of Indigenous peoples that the Philippines received from fellow States in its review: Take all necessary measures to protect the lives and rights of human rights defenders and journalists, and ensure that they can carry out their work safely, free from intimidation, harassment, red tagging, and other forms of violence. Ensure freedom of expression and media freedom. Global Witness has identified the Philippines as the third most dangerous country for human rights defenders globally. Conduct in-depth, impartial, independent, transparent, and effective investigations of the deaths and human rights violations of human rights defenders and journalists. Take all necessary measures to prevent further extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances or other human rights violations of defenders. Between 2016-2021, according to Panaghiusa, 126 Indigenous individuals lost their lives in extrajudicial killings, 227 were illegally arrested, 478 were illegally detained, 27 were tortured and 6 forcibly disappeared. Furthermore, 97,118 Indigenous people were forcibly evacuated from their territories. Ensure full and meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples at all stages of development projects affecting them. Growing mining, dam construction, and agricultural plantations continuously violate Indigenous peoples’ rights to lands, self-determination, and FPIC. Ratify the ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and ensure that laws, policies, and programs aimed at protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples are effectively implemented. Following the Philippines’ review, human rights defenders, activists, Indigenous leaders and lawyers held a protest to demonstrate that the State of Philippines had just grossly lied about its human rights situation. “We are here to challenge the UN system and represent ourselves, our community, our people, and the real situation on the ground. The Philippine government is not representing us. Instead, they are representing the interests of the imperialists, the plunderers of Indigenous territories.” – Windel Bolinget, Chairperson of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance
Land is Life Celebrates CEDAW’s General Recommendation No.39 on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) released its General Recommendation on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls last week. The recommendation is the first-ever binding instrument focused specifically on the rights of Indigenous girls and women. CEDAW is a UN treaty body, under the auspices of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women – the most important international treaty regarding women’s rights. Even though the treaty was ratified in 1981, this is the first time that CEDAW has issued a General Recommendation that pays attention to the particular situation and realities of Indigenous women. In 2004, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), encouraged by a group of Indigenous women, called on the CEDAW to begin a process to develop a general recommendation on Indigenous women. General recommendations are suggestions or clarifications directed to States regarding specific issues affecting women to which the Committee thinks more attention and resources should be devoted. In 2009, to push this initiative forward, the Tz´ununija´ Indigenous Women’s Movement from Guatemala prepared a shadow report to the CEDAW on the situation of Indigenous women in their territory. CEDAW responded three years later and held a week-long workshop in Wayuu territory in Colombia. This event, organized by Indigenous women from the region, was a space for developing a deeper understanding of CEDAW and formulating strategic alliances. The workshop was followed by a ten-year process of meetings, consultations, dialogues, and research that finally resulted in the General Recommendation No.39, released last week. The General Recommendation is the first-ever binding instrument that centers around eliminating the intersectional discrimination and human rights violations faced by Indigenous women and girls. It acknowledges their role as leaders, knowledge-bearers, and culture transmitters, and pays attention to their intrinsic connection to their territories, as well as the collective dimension of their rights. The recommendation addresses the lack of implementation of their rights to self-determination and autonomy as one of the root causes of their discrimination. Land is Life applauds General Recommendation No.39, and especially the grassroots efforts of Indigenous women who tirelessly pushed the process forward for almost two decades. We call on the State parties to effectively start fulfilling the obligations stated in the recommendation, so that Indigenous girls and women worldwide can live free from discrimination.
Land is Life Condemns the Murder of Alba Bermeo Puin, Indigenous Defender and Anti-Mining Activist in Ecuador
Latin America is a violent environment for Indigenous leaders who are defending their territories from extractivist industries. The spiral of violence that Indigenous peoples are facing has again claimed a new victim, this time in Ecuador over the past weekend. Alba Bermeo Puin, a 24 year-old Indigenous defender and anti-mining activist, was murdered on the night of October 21st by people associated with illegal mining in the communities of Río Blanco, Cochapamba and Yumate. She was five months pregnant. According to human rights organizations and local Indigenous associations, the murder is affiliated with an unprecedented escalation of threats and violent attacks against community leaders opposing mining activities in their territories. Throughout the past two weeks, at least three armed attacks by illegal miners have taken place in these communities. The authorities did not react to the complaints of the local people. In 2018, the community of Río Blanco won a court case against the Chinese-Ecuadorian mining company, Ecuagoldmining, due to the violation of their rights to free, prior and informed consent. This court victory halted the mining activities of the company. However, since the court ruling, the State of Ecuador has failed in fulfilling its responsibility to protect the rights of people in this region. The failure to maintain public order and security has led to a profound expansion of illegal mining activities in the area. The situation constitutes a dual violation of rights; not only has the right to free, prior and informed consent been violated, but also the right to life and the right to territory is being systematically violated due to the inaction of the State towards criminal groups that illegally extract mineral resources in these territories. Land is Life firmly stands in solidarity with the Ecuadorian communities facing this tragedy. We condemn the violence and the State’s failure to protect the right to life of its citizens, specifically Indigenous defenders. Land is Life demands that the State of Ecuador take urgent action to stop illegal mining, and to provide remedy to the family of Alba.
Maasai Pastoralists Struggle with Prolonged Drought
East Africa has been suffering from severe drought for two years in a row. This is one of the numerous impacts of climate change that drastically affects people who have least contributed to it. Earlier this month, Enkishon Indigenous Initiative, a community-based organization devoted to supporting Maasai pastoralists in southern Kenya, organized a food delivery in Kajiado County, with support from Land is Life. Lack of rain across East Africa has caused one of the most severe droughts in recent history. People are currently experiencing the fifth failed rainy season in a row, with critical and long-lasting consequences. Pastoralist communities, such as the Indigenous Maasai in Kenya, have had to give up their nomadic way of life as all pastures have dried out. They have already lost millions of cattle because of lack of feed, and the remaining are starving. Besides hunger, the situation is causing depression among the Maasai, to whom the cattle are the backbone of their identity, culture, and livelihoods. They love their cattle and are hesitant to let them go. “In order to eat we need to let our cattle go, and take care of our children. Otherwise our children will have nothing to eat.“ – Maasai senior community leader Earlier this month, to respond to the drastic situation, Enkishon Indigenous Initiative, a community organization dedicated to supporting Maasai women and children in Kajiado County, Southern Kenya, organized a truckload of food delivered to the Maasai community of Eluanata. The delivery, supported by Land is Life, does not solve the tragedy but provides temporary relief to the community. In response to the long-term effects of drought, Jemimah Kerenge, Maasai woman and Land is Life’s Indigenous-Led Grantmaking Program Director thinks that combining the pastoralist way of life with small-scale farming, based on principles of agroecology, while reducing the sizes of the herds, could be an option. It would reduce the pastoralists’ dependence on cattle as the sole source of livelihoods and provide other potentially self-sustaining food sources. The prolonged drought is just one of the numerous impacts of climate change that we are currently witnessing. The ones who have least contributed to climate change, are the most vulnerable to it, and the first to be impacted. As world leaders are working on policies to accelerate a green shift, Land is Life would like to remind them of the importance of placing the rights of Indigenous Peoples at the core of these efforts. Too often are projects that are intended to be sustainable, lead to rights violations of Indigenous Peoples. Last week, Land is Life was one of the more than 200 signatories of an open letter asking the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and State parties to put human rights at the center of the energy transition at COP27. You can read the letter here.
Land is Life Celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States
Today, in the United States, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It is a day that for far too long had been celebrated as Columbus Day, commemorating Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Bahamas in 1492, which for his fellow Europeans marked the discovery of the “New World”. Since the 1940s, Indigenous Peoples have spoken out against dedicating a day for honoring the enslavement, theft, violence, and massacre of Indigenous Peoples across the Americas which was the direct result of European invasion. In 1977, at the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas, held in Geneva, Switzerland, Native Americans demanded the replacement of Columbus Day with a day that would express solidarity with Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. This kicked off a movement that, in 1992, led to the city of Berkley, California, to declare the day as “Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People”. Since then, 19 states, and over 50 cities, have rejected official celebrations of Columbus Day and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In 2021, President Joe Biden proclaimed the day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day to “honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today”. However, the proclamation did not make it a federal holiday – which Columbus Day still is. Today, Land is Life joins the celebration and honoring of Indigenous Peoples and their cultures. We encourage all states of the US to officially recognize this day as an act of respect to Indigenous Peoples who are the guardians of the Earth. Celebrating Columbus alongside Indigenous Peoples’ Day is paradoxical and should not be tolerated. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day reminds us that we are all Indigenous! Regardless of where we live, our gender, race, age, religion, or species, we are all made of the same basic elements of life: Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ethers. Somewhere in our genetic lineages we come from a small tribal community who knew how to respect the Earth for all that she provides – she is the life giver of all. And today with mass environmental destruction, it is time to return to that basic understanding of how to live and be on this earth as stewards for our future generations. Thank you for supporting Indigenous peoples around the word whose ways will help everyone return to a more simple and peaceful life.” – Lisa Grayshield, PhD, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn-Nu, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Land is Life Highlights the Importance of Digital Security for Indigenous Activists
The need for improved security of Indigenous activists has never been greater. Over the past few years, Land is Life’s team and network have experienced first-hand intimidation, harassment, and even violence at the hands of governments and other interests. Digital threats are one of several security issues that Land is Life tries to address in its work. Since its founding, Land is Life has made it a priority to accompany Indigenous leaders under threat, as well as provide funding, legal aid, medical care, and other resources to assist Indigenous defenders, their families, organizations, and communities. Our Indigenous-led Security Fund, for example, is based on small, flexible grants that are quickly and directly disbursed to communities, with few bureaucratic requirements. In recent years, the role and importance of internet and digital technology has grown remarkably in the work of Indigenous peoples in defending their lands, human rights, and the environment. The digital divide, however, is still a major issue. The gap between Indigenous peoples and non-indigenous populations regarding access to the internet, affordability of technology, and digital literacy, is generally wide. The issue was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: “When COVID hit, the offices of our partner organizations had to close their doors and most Indigenous leaders went back to their territories in rural areas. Many of these regions lack access to the internet which meant that the defenders lost a crucial tool to continue their work, including monitoring of their territories, information sharing among Indigenous networks as well as communications to a broader range of allies. In many cases, there was also a lack of devices, such as phones. As a response, Land is Life provided our partner communities in the Amazon region with cell phones, portable internet connection, as well as laptops, so that the defenders were again able to continue their work in their territories. This is also a gender issue. Indigenous women and men tend to have unequal access to the internet or technology. During the pandemic, women activists, in particular, were affected in terms of their security, due to lack of access to the internet or technology. Our digital security strategy allows us to identify and helps us to resolve these issues.” – José Proaño, Land is Life’s Latin America Program Director In addition to the digital divide, another challenge for Indigenous communities tends to be a lack of knowledge about digital security. Indigenous defenders are often vulnerable to online threats, such as phishing, spyware, surveillance, trolling, and disinformation campaigns. With this in mind, Land is Life, together with Citizen Clinic, developed a Digital Security Guide for activists. Although this guide was specifically crafted for indigenous organizations in Cameroon, Kenya, and Uganda, the information it contains and the tips for safer use of the internet and technology is applicable for activists and organizations across the world. Below is a link to our guide. Please use it to increase your security awareness. Digital Security Guide for Activists
Land is Life Condemns the Continuous Persecution of the Maasai People in Tanzania
The Tanzanian government’s attempts to evict the Maasai from their ancestral lands in Loliondo have intensified over the past few months. Criminalization and stigmatization are used as a means to turn the territory of the Maasai into a game area for elite tourism. In June, we shared the struggle of the Indigenous Maasai pastoralists who are resisting the government’s violent attempts to evict them from their homelands in Loliondo, Northern Tanzania. These tensions have been ongoing for more than a decade as the Otterlo Business Corporation, (OBC) which organizes hunting safaris for the royal family of Dubai, continues to lobby the Tanzanian government to turn the grazing lands and villages of the Maasai into a protected game area. Despite the Maasai’s persistent resistance, as well as widespread support from civil society and the international community, the Government of Tanzania has not halted its unjust efforts – on the contrary. The Maasai have responded to the increasing oppression by organizing protests that have, in some cases, been met with violence. In one of these protests in late June a police officer lost his life, which led to 27 Maasai being detained and falsely charged with murder. Today, 24 of those charged still remain in jail. Furthermore, over 90 Maasai have been falsely accused of being illegal immigrants in their own country, out of whom 45 are still being kept in detention. These people are unlawfully imprisoned or detained to keep them from defending their lands. The Tanzanian government has also confiscated hundreds of Maasai cattle, deployed large police and military troops in their lands to sow fear, and limited the communication and mobility of the Maasai by destroying their phones and motorbikes. A misinformation and stigmatization campaign is also being conducted to legitimize this terror. People who have been wounded in the protests are denied medical care. Food supply to the area is being restricted. Women and children are in an extremely vulnerable situation, especially those who are staying in camps with a lack of basic needs due to the destruction of their homes. “A woman with diabetes became seriously ill and fainted as she lacked medication. We are seriously suffering.” – Maasai leader (name withheld for security reasons) These human rights violations must come to an end. Increased pressure from the international community is needed to have the State of Tanzania stop the land grabbing without the free, prior and informed consent of the Maasai. Land is Life joins the calls on the State of Tanzania to immediately release the 24 Maasai who are still in jail and drop their false charges. We also urge travel agencies across the world to immediately stop arranging trophy hunting tours in Indigenous territories.