PeoSoc
Since 2018, the Jamii Asilia Centre (JAC), founded to protect and promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Kenya through sustainable and culturally relevant development, has conducted a series of 10 direct consultations with Endorois youth, Elders, and key influential figures.
We decided to use a methodology that encompassed play, creation, and relaxation in which children could be introduced to an artistic discipline by watching videos, listening to music, or seeing live dance performances; to present an experience in which they could engage their senses and reflect on it.
With the support of Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Youth Fellowship, Dzib created a digital repository of bilingual virtual resources tailored for elementary school children incorporating the experiences of teachers, students, and parents.
Last week, Indigenous leaders from the Ayllu Acre Antequera in Bolivia, together with the organizations Qhana Pukara Kurmi, Cultural Survival, and Earthworks, submitted a report to the Canadian mining company Santacruz Silver (SCS) ahead of its Annual General Meeting today in Vancouver.
They remind us of what many working in this space already instinctively knew: the horrifically high count of lives lost to the national crisis of men’s violence against women is likely far higher than official numbers suggest.
This includes both traditional and modern methodologies such as immersive language programs and internships, cultural events and gatherings, youth camps and excursions, in-person and online classes, publishing books, and developing software and apps.
“I didn’t know my grand-parents and I always felt a lack of them in my life, so seeing these elderly people on the street and not being able to help them touched me because I couldn’t speak our language.” Although Anrango’s parents dressed her in traditional clothing from the time she was born, as a child they only communicated with her in Spanish, something she would later come to question.
The call for a global traceability framework and a High-Level Expert Advisory Group indicated by the report is essential, but the lack of binding mechanisms means these remain voluntary, and their effectiveness depends on the willingness of states and corporations to act.
Furthermore, we welcome the panel’s recognition that “specific measures should be implemented to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are recognized as equal partners and benefit equitably from these opportunities, with benefit-sharing schemes aligned with their right to self-determination” (Principle 4, Para 38).
Following centuries of violence, racism, and conquest by colonial missions, rubber companies, and State governments, the court's acknowledgment of the Siekopai as the rightful owners of Pë’këya is a crucial step toward their legal battle of restoring justice, ensuring collective survival, and preserving cultural heritage.
This is important, as children’s behavioural (or social and emotional) development sets the foundation for longer term positive mental health and academic success.
"Governments around the world must honor their responsibilities to move from Declaration endorsement to adoption and align their domestic laws and policies with the rights, self-governance, and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples," says Cultural Survival Executive Director Aimee Roberson (Choctaw and Chickasaw).