Indigenous peoples: diverse cultures, same obstacles

The Second Course in ‘Applied Anthropology to Development Processes’, organized by the University of the Rome ‘La Sapienza’ with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the participation of the Society for International Development (SID), hosted a seminar on ‘Alternative Development Paradigms. Indigenous Peoples’ Self-Determined Development’ on 17 November 2009.

Presentations were made by representatives of indigenous movements from five continents, including Debra Harris from the Indigenous Peoples’ Council on Biocolonialism, USA; Saudata Aboubacrine from Tin Hinan, Burkina Faso; Ol-Johan Sikku from the Sami Council, Sweden; Windel Balag-ey Bolinget from the Cordillera People Alliance, Philippines, and Ben Powless from the International Environmental Network, Canada.

The presentations showed a great deal of commonalities among the experiences lived by indigenous groups worldwide. All stressed the importance of land as an ancestral territory and an integral part of the communities’ worldviews. Land grabbing by governments or multinationals for mining or other extractive industries’ purposes was also one of the main problems experienced by indigenous groups, especially as they are not consulted over activities planned on their territories in lack of compliance with both ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights. Often land is grabbed for big ‘development’ projects such as dams, which create forced displacement of indigenous communities. Climate change was also mentioned as one of the main problems for indigenous peoples, not only because they rely more on nature for their livelihoods, but also because they have fewer means to protect themselves from changes in climate patterns and more frequent natural disasters. The issue of climate justice and ecological debt was raised as indigenous peoples are the ones who are suffering the worst consequences of climate change, yet have contributed the least to this problem. Finally, most indigenous groups lack formal representation in national parliaments, which prevents them from making their voices heard through local institutional processes.

At the same time, the presentations offered the audience a glimpse into a variety of very rich and diverse cultures. Despite facing similar difficulties, each indigenous group has its own culture and identity, language and traditions which make it different and unique. This extreme diversity of cultures forces us once more to acknowledge the impossibility of applying a single development model to very different contexts. This is all the more true when this model is imposed without the consultation of the very people who live on a specific territory.
The presentations also highlighted the diversity of knowledges that these groups are carriers of and that should not be lost. As a representative from Rajasthan pointed out, the literacy rate is extremely low in his community, however the knowledge on cattle rearing is so extensive that no formally educated person would possess it.

The next seminar organized by SID in the framework of the Course will take place on 26 November and will focus on Food Sovereignty.

To read more about issues faced by indigenous people read the article ‘The Rise of Ethnic Politics: The indigenous movement in the Andean region’ by Laura Fano Morrissey.

Other articles will also appear in the forthcoming issue of Development 52.4 ‘Xenophobia, Culture and Identity’.

Photo credit: Keith Bacongco

Written by: Laura

Filed Under: Culture and identity, Development, Ecology, Events

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About Laura

Laura Fano Morrissey is External Relations Officer at the SID Secretariat in Rome. She is also working on the journal Development as Assistant Editor. Laura graduated in Political Science and holds a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies from the University of London. She has worked extensively in the NGO sector, mainly with a focus on Latin America.

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