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We are eternally grateful for this guest contribution by Emma Lewis. Check out her blog here.
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Today (August 9) is the UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This year’s theme focuses on human rights, especially for those in voluntary isolation and initial contact. There are some 200 communities (many in the Americas and also Asia) who choose to continue their traditional way of life while staying detached from the “outside world.” This way, they maintain their culture and their strong connections to the environment.
Of course, it’s not as simple as that. These groups are extremely vulnerable, especially to forced contact in the shape of development – mining, deforestation, tourism, and more. This makes the environment they are a part of equally vulnerable.
Nevertheless, Indigenous culture is becoming increasingly recognised in some parts of the world, at least – for example, the magnificently rich art of aboriginal Australia and the Torres Strait Islanders. The UN website provides some background:
There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous Peoples in the world living across 90 countries. They make up less than 6 per cent of the world’s population but account for at least 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.
Indigenous Peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, Indigenous Peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples.
Indigenous Peoples have sought recognition of their identities, their way of life and their right to traditional lands, territories and natural resources for years. Yet, throughout history, their rights have been violated. Indigenous Peoples today, are arguably among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people in the world.
Climate Tracker Caribbean recently hosted an online Community Hangout; I learned a lot from it. You can watch it on YouTube here. “Roots of Resistance: Suriname’s Indigenous and Tribal Fight for Climate Justice and Land Rights“ was a conversation with Ms. Samunda Jambini, an activist extraordinaire. Ms. Jambini is Assistant Secretary General at The African Caribbean Pacific Diaspora Youth Support Services, a Community Engagement Consultant, and a Gender and Youth Engagement Consultant in Suriname.
Suriname is a member of the Caribbean Community, like neighbouring Guyana (and Belize). The remarkably diverse Dutch-speaking country on the South American mainland is home to six tribal groups and five indigenous groups (Jambini was careful to make a distinction between the two, although their histories have been intertwined and they have many issues in common). Her group of Afro-descendant tribal people – the Saamaka, who are the oldest and largest tribal group – fled the plantations into the rainforest, where they were guided and embraced by the indigenous peoples who already lived there. While learning from the indigenous people as they adapted to life in the forest, the Saamaka nevertheless retained their own culture, language, and government structure. You can follow the Saamaka community on Instagram here.
The Saamaka returned to the plantations to free other slaves, putting so much pressure on the colonisers that they were forced to sign peace treaties – which had no legal standing and were not adhered to by either side. Slavery was abolished in 1863 in Suriname, and the country gained Independence in 1975. However, the country’s constitution was based on that of the Netherlands and did not include recognition of the indigenous people at all.
The Surinamese government legally owns most of the land – even where indigenous people live. When it comes to land, the tribal and indigenous groups often find themselves in the same situation. In the 1960s, the Saamaka chief gave the government permission to build a hydro-electric dam to provide power to the coastal areas; people had to move from their ancestral villages to another district, an area owned by a Canadian mining company, where their land rights are still in jeopardy. And ironically, the displaced communities still don’t have a regular electricity supply.
Then on, into the 1990s, mining concessions were still being given out, this time to Chinese companies. They “move in overnight,” said Jambini, with no consultation with the residents. She painted a vivid picture of people working in their fields, who are suddenly approached by company officials with papers in their hands, telling them they have to move. Just leave. Can you imagine?
At this point, young people started advocating for land rights, and in 2007 a judgment at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) went in favour of the Saamaka people. There have been two other land rights cases won by indigenous peoples since then – because how can you deny rights to those people who lived there before anyone else? However (perhaps you have guessed already) the government has not recognised the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples in law; and continues to give concessions to individuals and corporations who simply take everything. Note: Suriname voted to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007.
So, what of the future for these communities that depend on the forest, which is for them a sacred place, to be used sustainably? In addition to ongoing and current concerns such as pollution, deforestation and illegal building and mining (which takes place inside the communities), tribal and Indigenous peoples are increasingly troubled by the obvious signs of climate change: a nine-month-long drought, followed by daily heavy rainfall. During land rights protests last year, the police shot and killed several young community members, while others remain in jail – labelled as “terrorists.” That is obviously not the answer. But also, Jambini suggests, young people need to link their struggles with climate change. There needs to be a focus on climate justice and because this message does not always reach them, many indigenous and tribal youth go to work in the mines; often they have little choice.
Political representation is important, and there are indeed tribal and indigenous representatives in Parliament. But “whose language are they speaking when they are there?” asks Jambini; their representation is not deep and wide enough. Land rights are seen as an issue for the “interior” of the country, and the residents need to “fix it” – that is the attitude. Next year is general elections, so the indigenous and tribal communities will receive visitors with silver tongues. Meanwhile, dialogue with the government continuously takes place – but for those in the capital Paramaribo, Jambini observes: “They are really playing a political game with this.” The powers that be are eyeing all the resources that the interior forests, and those who live in them hold: timber, gold, fresh water. And (like so many political players in the Caribbean, sadly) they are more loyal to their party than to the people. Plus, there are those valuable resources to consider making money from.
Meanwhile, Jambini and fellow advocates continue helping their respective communities understand and become fully aware of the challenges they face, especially on land rights, and the existential issue of the climate crisis; and are now leaning on international organisations to help boost their messages. Challenges continue. And protests continue.
Climate change is one of those challenges, and it looms over everything.
NB If you want to read more stories about the Indigenous peoples of Guyana and Suriname, written by Caribbean journalists, here are a few from Climate Tracker:
- The Indigenous Guyanese village steering its eco-tourism boom
- Guyana’s Indigenous peoples reject Venezuela’s land grab plans
- Galibi village in Suriname facing uncertainty due to fish deaths
- Carbon credits: a rescue rope or a noose for Suriname’s Indigenous peoples
- Climate change threatens the food supply and traditions of Indigenous people
