Commemorative "Indigenous Days" without Indigenous Rights

In another take on the “you got recognition” theme, whereby indigenous groups are recognized as existing, perhaps celebrated in national festivals, and otherwise commemorated but denied rights as indigenous peoples, the President of the Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname (OIS) addressed the following letter to Dr. R.R. Venetiaan, President of the Republic of Suriname:Paramaribo, 10 August 2007

To: the President of the Republic of Suriname
Dr. R.R. Venetiaan
Paramaribo – Suriname

Esteemed President,
By means of this letter, the Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname (OIS)requests your attention for the following:

The day of August 9 is declared by the government to be “National Day of Indigenous People” and is at the same time declared a national holiday.

Assigning this day to the original inhabitants of Suriname – known to you all as Indigenous, called Indians before – was applauded very much by us, as an organization that attends to the interests of this group.

We have experienced this gesture towards the Indigenous community as a very positive one and have seen this in the light of recognition of our people within the Surinamese population.

But, to our big surprise we have learned only a few days after the proclamation of this day, both in the national media and also from our international contacts, that the state of Suriname has voted against acceptance of the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” during the consultation round at the United Nations.

Because of this act of the state of Suriname, which works against the rights of the Indigenous Peoples all over the world but especially against the rights of the Indigenous People in Suriname, we as representatives of the Indigenous People in Suriname must conclude that we, Indigenous People, still will have a very long way to go in order to go get recognition of the rights and titles to our lands, etc.

The OIS sees this act of the state of Suriname as a failure to appreciate the position of the Indigenous People, because the state of Suriname being also the only country in the western hemisphere that still has not ratified ILO Convention 169.

On behalf of the Indigenous People of Suriname and also on behalf of our Indigenous brothers and sisters everywhere else in the world, we want to call on you as President to take case that Suriname will vote in favor of the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” during the vote on September 3 in the United Nations.
Since you have expressed in your speech in Palm Garden on the 9th of August 2007, that you really recognize the Indigenous People, we as Indigenous People would really appreciate if you would convert your words in this respect into deeds.

The Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname,
Leon Ericson Wijngaarde
(President)

Note:

Convention No. 169 of the International Labour Organization has in fact been ratified by very few states, only 18, since it came into being in 1989. Among the signatories that are notably absent are: Canada, the United States, Belize, Guyana, and Trinidad, all of which also claim to recognize their indigenous populations.

Twelve percent American Indian?

It is more than a little disturbing to see the relative ease which writers in major mainstream news media exhibit when reporting that a person is “12 percent American Indian.” This weighing of indigenous cultural identity on a scale, as if it were a sack of grain, not to mention the imposition of questions of “authenticity” (as if these persons were objects), is one of the perverse outcomes of the rise of DNA testing technology coupled with debates over membership in indigenous communities, and ownership of indigenous cultural artifacts. The most recent example, among a series, was authored by Ellen Rosen, in The New York Times (Sunday, Aug. 18, 2007) in an article titled, “Latest Genealogy Tools Create a Need to Know.” The caption to the opening photograph states: “Through a DNA test, Dr. Holden found out that she is 12 percent American Indian.” Not only that, she is yet another descendant of a “princess,” which is an amazing accomplishment for someone whose indigenous ancestors knew no royal or noble titles. Apparently pricesses made for incredibly prolific breeders, as it is virtually impossible to find anyone who claims to be the descendant of a “commoner.”

An American comedian–Stephen Colbert–recently claimed to have undergone some testing that revealed he was 75% Jewish, which gave him ample material for jokes about getting a “three quarters circumcision” or telling three fourths of a Jewish joke. When it comes to American Indian or indigenous identity, the subject no longer becomes the stuff of jokes, which it really deserves to be. I would hate to be a 12 percent American Indian in a debate about indigenous issues with a 13 percent American Indian.

Blogs for Indigenous News and Commentary

Normally I would be careful about recommending a website or blog whose authors/creators are not well identified, but CENSORED appears to be well worth visiting for those interested in indigenous news from a radical and militant perspective. Many of the current articles discuss Zapatista meetings, communiques from writers associated with the Mohawk Warriors Society, and pieces critical of U.S. actions in Iraq as well as domestic spying in the U.S.

Indigenous Issues Today is a relatively new blog authored by Dr. Peter N. Jones, director of the Baau Insititute in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Jones, of Welsh, Norwegian, and Choctaw ancestry, has also worked with indigenous peoples from the Dominican Republic, among others. The following information about the blog and the Institute came from a recent press release by PRLEAP.COM:

Indigenous people today face more challenges than any previous generation. Large multi-national companies are extracting all types of natural resources from indigenous peoples traditional homelands. Ecotourism is having an adverse effect on traditional indigenous cultural values. The establishment of large preserves for wildlife management has caused detrimental impacts to traditional subsistence lifeways by indigenous peoples throughout the world. In order to help mitigate these ongoing and constant impacts, the Bauu Institute and Press began publishing the Indigenous Issues Today news blog.

The Indigenous Issues Today news blog is written as a form of social outreach for those who want to find out what is happening to the worlds indigenous peoples and as a means of informing the public about one of today’s central human rights issues. With over 20 posts on 15 indigenous groups located in 8 countries, the blog has already garnered a lot of attention. Primary topics have included timber harvesting in Chile and its impacts to the Mapuche people, oil and gas development among the Ute peoples of southern Colorado, and commentaries on the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights….

Dr. Jones said, “Although there are a number of blogs that cover a particular topic or indigenous group, this blog is the first to examine in detail one particular issue at a time while still taking a global perspective. A larger understanding is developed as to the problems facing indigenous peoples around the world.” With the Indigenous Issues Today news blog, Dr. Peter N. Jones hopes to reach out to people from all walks of life.

About the Bauu Institute and Press

The Bauu Institute and Press is a science and applied research institute. Since 1998 the Institute has conducted a wide range of environmental, psychological, and social science projects. The Institute works on a range of local, state, federal, and tribal based levels, and are especially adept at working with indigenous peoples.